


nothing that shines brighter than you

by misspamela



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Nanny, Don't worry, Kid Fic, M/M, Mutual Pining, manic pixie dream boy minhyuk, minhyuk sweeps him off his feet, romcom nonsense, shownu is a choreographer, single dad shownu, the baby's mom is not dead or evil, trying to make things work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-04-17 02:38:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14178711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misspamela/pseuds/misspamela
Summary: Hyunwoo is a stressed single dad desperately trying to keep it together. Minhyuk is kind of a pain in the ass, but he's exactly what Hyunwoo and his daughter need.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> Ever since I saw that one gif of Shownu dipping a laughing Minhyuk, I've wanted a manic pixie dream boy Minhyuk/single dad Shownu fic, so I decided to write one myself. 
> 
> Thanks to birbcore for the beta!

Hyunwoo loved his daughter. Since the day she was born, she’s been his everything. The late hours, the long nights of work, the lack of social life...it was all completely worth it. Jia was his light, his life, and everything good in his world. She was the reason he got up and kept going. 

But he would give anything -- _anything_ \-- for her to stop crying and let him sleep. 

Since Monday, he’d had maybe 8 hours of non-consecutive sleep. It was now three in the morning on Wednesday night and he had to be up for work in a few hours and Jia was just alternating between sobbing and screaming and he thought he was just going to lose his mind.

The only way Hyunwoo could handle being a single dad was through routine. He made his grocery list on Saturday morning and did laundry on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Whether he or one of her caregivers was putting her to bed, Jia went down at no later than 8pm with a bottle and exactly one book and her favorite stuffed duck. He bought her clothes from the same outlet where he could mix and match things without worrying if he was doing it right, and he wore either jeans or track pants and a plain black tee pretty much every day. Routine. Consistency. But apparently Jia’s teeth had other ideas, and teething plus an ear infection meant their careful routine was blown to hell at the worst possible time. 

Jia’s nanny had left three weeks ago. She was a nice older woman who had taken on the job for extra money, but she very kindly told Hyunwoo that the inconsistent hours and the late nights were too much for her, which he understood. They were too much for him too. Since then, he’d interviewed several older women who said the same thing, that the hours wouldn’t work. The young women he interviewed seemed uncomfortable with the idea of being alone with a single dad all kinds of hours of the night, which he also totally understood. He tried to fill in the gaps using friends, friends’ sisters, a neighbor, and pulling superhuman hours himself.

But that left him with no sleep, a screaming baby, and a demanding job as a choreographer that he was probably going to lose because he couldn’t be a good dad and a good employee at the same time. Right now his schedule was loose, in a lull between comebacks, but things were ramping up again and he’d soon be working even more hours, teaching trainees and leading dance practices.

He couldn’t lose his job.

Hyunwoo held his daughter to his chest, rubbing her soft, pajama-covered back, listening to the rustle of her diaper as she squirmed against him, her sobs melting into soft hiccups. Hyunwoo let his head fall back, trying to ease the knot in his chest, and cried along with her. 

………..

“You’re perfect,” Hoseok cooed from where he was lying, stretched out on his stomach in front of Jia. He gently booped her on the nose and they both giggled. She sat up on her knees, reaching for the coffee table to pull herself up. She’d be walking soon, Hyunwoo realized. He’d baby-proofed the apartment the second he realized he’d be the one raising her, even before she was born, but he still wasn’t ready. 

Hoseok looked at him. “You look terrible,” he said, but it was said so kindly Hyunwoo didn’t even get offended. He _did_ look terrible and he knew it.

“She’s teething again,” Hyunwoo said tiredly. “And I interviewed the tenth nanny this morning. No luck.”

“I wish I could quit my job and take care of her,” Hoseok said desperately, and Hyunwoo was touched by how sincerely he meant it. “I would be the best nanny for my best girl,” he sighed and opened his arms. Jia fell into them with a happy screech, drooling all over Hoseok’s sweatshirt. 

Honestly, Hyunwoo wished that too. Hoseok was amazing with kids in general and Jia specifically. But he was trying to get his personal training business off the ground and as much as he talked about quitting his job, Hyunwoo knew he was trying to build something important. It was a fantasy, not reality, and Hyunwoo was exhausted enough to be a little cranky about even talking about it. 

“Your parents,” Hoseok said, apologetically, like he was sorry for bringing it up. “They’d come home if they knew how hard you were struggling.”

“Which is why they don’t need to know,” Hyunwoo said firmly. “You know how long they saved for this trip, no way am I begging them to come home.”

“How long are they in Europe for?” Hoseok asked, slightly muffled as he hid his face for a round of peek-a-boo. 

“Two months,” Hyunwoo said, dropping his head in exhaustion. “They’re there for a whole summer. Paris, then London, then some Greek island. Trip of a lifetime.” It really was the trip of a lifetime. His parents had saved for years and years for this, had fantasized about touring Europe since Hyunwoo was in high school. When they’d found out about Jia, when they’d found out Meiko was leaving and that Hyunwoo was going to raise her, they almost canceled then. It had taken months for Hyunwoo to prove he could hack it as a single dad. He wasn’t going to ruin it by calling them and crying for them to come home. Even if he really wasn’t hacking it as a single dad. 

“Ap, ap, ap,” Jia babbled, crawling over to him. Her cheeks were sticky with drool and there was a stain on the front of her shirt. Her hair was sticking up in little tufts where it was growing in unevenly and half of her diaper was sticking out of the back of her striped pants. She was a wobbly, grinning little mess, smiling at him with all the love in her heart, like Hyunwoo was the one who had all the answers. He pulled her up, settling her into his lap. She immediately bonked her head into his chest and made a “JJOK” noise like she was kissing him. Hyunwoo laughed at her, but it came out rusty, a little watery around the edges. 

“Hey,” Hoseok said, coming up to sit next to him on the couch. “I don’t have another client until tomorrow evening. Why don’t I stay here for a few hours so you can take a nap, and I’ll come back to hang out with her tomorrow. We’ll have a dance party,” he said, winking at Jia, who screamed joyfully and started bouncing up and down, nearly kicking Hyunwoo in the crotch. 

Normally, Hyunwoo would have argued. He would have said that he was capable of taking care of his own daughter, that he didn’t want to be a burden on his friends. But he was too tired, too overwhelmed and exhausted and terrified to even fight it. “Are you sure?” was all he could manage to say.

“Nobody else will let me blow raspberries on their tummy,” Hoseok said firmly, before leaning in to blow a wet raspberry on Jia’s cheek. “Not since Jooheon decided he was too hip hop for for it or something.” 

“Jooheon is a grown man and taller than you,” Hyunwoo said, stretching. “And he’s an idol.”

“But he’s so cute.” Hoseok lifted Jia up, laughing at her smile. “Nobody’s too big for tummy kisses, right sweetie?”

“I’m going to tell him you said that,” Hyunwoo said, finally getting to his feet. The room swayed around him slightly and yeah, he really needed to get some sleep. Maybe things would look better after a nap.

Giving Hoseok an awkward thumbs-up, Hyunwoo stumbled into the bedroom and onto the bed, fully clothed. He barely managed to kick off his slippers before falling asleep, seconds after his head hit the pillow. 

 

………

At work the next day, Kihyun took one look at him and winced. “You can’t keep going like this,” he said, looking concerned. Kihyun was a vocalist for one of the boy groups Hyunwoo’s company represented. They were recording a dance practice for vlive that day, but none of them were good enough to put up yet. Hyunwoo had struck up a friendship with Kihyun, who had always struggled a bit with the choreo. They’d stayed late several nights for one on one practice sessions, and Kihyun had impressed Hyunwoo with his work ethic and quiet, dry sense of humor. Kihyun had a forceful, clear personality that Hyunwoo appreciated. Hyunwoo wasn’t good with people, but he was good with Kihyun, who always let him know where he stood. 

 

“I’m serious,” Kihyun said, handing him a bottle of water. “You look like you’re going to drop. You’re not going to do us any good if you pass out.” 

“Can you keep it down?” Hyunwoo pressed the bottle to his forehead. “I don’t need anyone worrying about my ability to do my job, okay?” He rolled his neck. “I feel like I’ve interviewed every nanny in Seoul. It’s just...nobody’s good enough.” Hell, he wasn’t good enough. Even before she was born, Hyunwoo felt like he wasn’t worthy of being Jia’s father. The second she was born, he knew it. She was perfect. She was his world. And he failed her daily. The crushing sense of failure and panic rose up in his throat again, threatening to choke him. 

Kihyun just kept staring at him. He looked thoughtful, rather than concerned. “Hmm,” he said. He bit his bottom lip, worrying it between his teeth. “Urgh.”

“Spit it out,” Hyunwoo said. Whatever it was, there was no way Kihyun could solve his problems, as much as Kihyun liked to fix things.

“Does the nanny have to be a woman?” Kihyun asked, still looking thoughtful. 

“Aren’t they all women?” Hyunwoo asked, then immediately wanted to kick himself. “Wait, that’s sexist, right? Um, no, i don’t care if the nanny is a woman.” 

“Huh,” Kihyun said. Hyunwoo was going to kill him if he didn’t spit it out. 

“Do you know someone?” Hyunwoo asked, trying not to get his hopes up. If Kihyun was recommending this person, they had to be reliable. Kihyun was unfailingly reliable. 

“I might.” Kihyun scratched the back of his head and grimaced. “He’s been working as a barista, but the owner cut his hours, so he’s looking for work. I guess the owner has been having financial problems?” Kihyun shrugged. “He dropped all his full time staff to part time, I guess. Anyway Minhyuk has been looking for work, but it’s hard.”

“I can’t just leave Jia with some random guy,” Hyunwoo said, deflating. An out of work barista wasn’t going to cut it. “I’m sorry about your friend, but I need a professional.”

“Well, you haven’t had any luck with professionals,” Kihyun said, raising an eyebrow. “And Minhyuk worked in a daycare for years. He has like, a million little cousins. He loves kids.” He shrugged. “I don’t know, you’re desperate, he’s desperate. It was just a thought.”

“Wait, he worked in a daycare?” Hyunwoo found himself getting excited again. “He knows kids?”

“Yeah, he even has that baby CPR certification for when he babysits his cousins.” The director started calling for them to get into place, so they got up from their seats on the floor, stretching and groaning. “Jooheon knows him too,” Kihyun added, nodding toward where Jooheon was deep in conversation with one of the cameramen.

“Why didn’t you bring him up before?” Hyunwoo asked, trying so hard not to get his hopes up. “He sounds perfect.” 

Kihyun winced. “Uhhh, well, I love him but he’s definitely not perfect. He’s, um.” Kihyun broke off and bent down to tie his shoes. Hyunwoo wanted to scream. 

“He’s what?” 

Standing up, Kihyun sighed. “He’s just like, really annoying. And loud.” 

“Okay.” Hyunwoo wasn’t the easily annoyed type. That was okay.

“No, like, _really_ annoying,” Kihyun said, holding out both of his hands. “Like really, _really_ annoying.” 

“Are we talking about Minhyuk?” Jooheon asked, coming up to them. “Hey, hyung.” He held out his hand and Hyunwoo slapped it in greeting. 

“Hyunwoo-hyung is looking for a nanny,” Kihyun said, “I thought maybe Minhyuk might be interested.”

Jooheon made an identical grimace to the one Kihyun had made just a minute ago. “He’s good with kids,” he said eventually. “He wouldn’t like, drop your kid or anything.”

“So he’s responsible?” Hyunwoo asked. 

Kihyun and Jooheon both scrunched up their faces and looked at each other. “With kids,” Jooheon said. “He’s really responsible with kids, he loves kids.”

“That’s because he _is_ one,” Kihyun muttered. The director started yelling something again, and Kihyun said, “Listen, I’ll talk to him and then send you his number, okay? You can meet him and see what you think.”

“He’s a good guy,” Jooheon said, pulling one arm across his body to stretch it out as the music started up. “He’s just a lot.” 

It probably wasn’t going to work out. Hyunwoo was too picky when it came to Jia, too protective. He didn’t really want some loud, annoying guy hanging around his apartment all hours of the day, either. But he was desperate, and he was running out of choices. There wasn’t any harm in meeting the guy and seeing how he was with Jia, and if it didn’t work out, well...well, he didn’t know. 

Pushing that thought out of his mind, Hyunwoo brought his attention back to the music and back to his body. Letting himself flow from one beat to the next, he let himself get lost, just for a little while. 

 

…..

 

Later that night, Hyunwoo got a text from Kihyun. _minhyuk’s interested_ followed by contact info and the name “Lee Minhyuk.” Lee Minhyuk’s kkt avatar showed a guy with a beanie shoved over his hair, sunglasses and a scarf, laughing so hard that his head was thrown back, almost out of the picture. It was hard to even guess what he really looked like, he was laughing so hard. Hyunwoo studied it carefully, but there wasn’t anything else to get from it, other than that Lee Minhyuk seemed like a happy person. 

Hyunwoo couldn’t remember the last time he was that carefree and happy. Looking at Lee Minhyuk -- his head thrown back, the late afternoon sun glinting on his sunglasses -- was like looking at an alien. Someone from a different world, a different plane of existence. What was it even like, to let go so easily?

Finally, he messaged him: _Hi, this is Son Hyunwoo. Kihyun talked to you about maybe watching my daughter?_

Almost instantly, he responded _yes!!!! I love kids!!!_

Okay, enthusiasm was good, even though he kind of abused the exclamation points. _Do you have time to meet tomorrow?_ he asked. 

_im working until 3:00. can you meet me there?_ followed by a link to the website of a cafe in Yongsan. 

_ok, see you then_ , Hyunwoo sent back. He paused, then: _i’ll bring Jia so you can meet her_

 _omg_ was all Minhyuk wrote back, followed by the hearteyes emoji. 

Hyunwoo wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he didn’t. It was hard not to feel hope, because he really, really needed this to work out, but hope could lead to making rash decisions. He wanted to do the right thing for Jia, not just take the first convenient solution that came along. He scrolled back and forth, rereading their conversation over again, arguing with that tiny, hopeful voice until he heard Jia start wailing in the other room, barely an hour after he put her down. 

Right. It was going to be another long night.


	2. two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I never joke about burgers,” Minhyuk said seriously. “If you’re anti-burger, you can get out.” He pointed at the door, while still winking at Jia. 
> 
> “...are you telling me to get out of _your_ interview?” Hyunwoo asked helplessly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Augh, I'm sorry this took so long! Work got crazy and then I got sick...hopefully I will be on a more regular posting schedule with the other chapters. Thanks to C for the beta.

Getting Jia out the door every morning reminded Hyunwoo of being in the military. He’d been stationed up in the mountains for a while, working on field surveillance. It sounded impressive, but was really just a fancy word for lots of cold, exhausting hiking. He’d been in decent shape for a skinny 18 year-old, but trying to remember all the supplies to pack, the order in which they had to be packed, the most efficient way to pack them…that anxiety never quite left him, and he still packed Jia’s diaper bag with military precision, checking and double checking before he finally left the house. Every new developmental milestone brought a stab of paralyzing anxiety-- she was eating some food, but still drinking formula, how much was too much? Too little? Did he need to bring food _and_ formula? Was she still into the squeaky giraffe toy enough to bring it? Was her interest in the plastic keyring a passing phase, or would that keep her occupied? 

If Hyunwoo wasn’t living in Seoul and he had a car, he knew he’d have that thing packed full with baby supplies 24/7. But he took the metro everywhere and he was limited by how much he wanted to carry and how much he didn’t want to be that asshole with a giant bag and a stroller on the subway. So. Military precision. Jia was too big now to be held in the front carrier, so she went into the backpack. Hyunwoo used a messenger bag as a diaper bag; he slung that on before he put the backpack over it. He had it down to a science now, where to put all the straps and buckles and how to balance the weight so it didn’t hurt his arms and it left his hands free. 

Jia, of course, didn’t care about military precision. “Ahhh?” she said inquisitively, as she pulled a clean diaper out of the bag and threw it to one side in delight. “Ahhh!” Eagerly, she lurched forward to grab another diaper, presumably to repeat the game, but Hyunwoo stopped her. “No,” he said firmly. She smiled at him, the little charmer, and leaned with her whole body toward the diaper bag. “No,” he said again, but he could hear how soft he sounded. 

He handed her the squeaky giraffe, which she immediately chucked across the room in favor of grabbing one of her socks off the floor and shoving it in her mouth. Fine. That would keep her occupied for a while. Hyunwoo finished packing the bag and got her strapped in to her backpack. She bounced and whined for a bit, kicking him hard in the ribs, but she eventually settled into babbling and periodically giving him drool-soaked kisses to the back of his head. 

She was good on the way over to the cafe, either babbling or dozing, which gave Hyunwoo plenty of time to think. Never a good thing. His brain raced in circles, trying to decide if this Minhyuk guy was going to be the best thing to happen to them, or if he was grasping at straws because he was desperate. _But you are desperate_ , his brain whispered, starting the spiral all over again. 

When they finally got to the cafe, Jia was whining louder and kicking him, struggling to get down. Hyunwoo’s lower back ached from the way she was throwing herself around in the backpack and his shirt was sweaty and plastered to his skin. He should have made Minhyuk come to him, but he didn’t like the idea of a stranger knowing where he lived. 

The cafe was thankfully not too crowded, mostly filled with people trying to work with laptops and headphones on. There was a college-aged couple in the corner, giggling together. The guy was doing some kind of origami trick with a napkin and the girl was smiling behind her hand, simultaneously fond and clearly unimpressed. Hyunwoo wondered if he’d ever been that young. It felt like a lifetime ago. 

He got Jia settled in a highchair and gave her a sippy cup full of formula. She wasn’t as good with it yet as she was with bottles, but she liked to bang it on the table. That would keep her amused for a while. Sure enough, she smacked it on the table and grinned at him, her two front teeth poking out of her bare gums. Hyunwoo couldn’t help smiling back at her. “Appa knows what you like, you monster.” 

Checking three or four times to make sure she was _completely_ secure, Hyunwoo got up to order his coffee. There was a guy behind the counter who was clearly bored, as he was building some kind of structure out of coffee stirrers and sugar packets. “Um, hello?” Hyunwoo said. 

“They changed the brand,” the kid said, not looking up from his work. 

“I’m sorry?” Hyunwoo asked, not sure if he heard him right. 

“The sugar. They changed the brand they ordered.” He gave a disgusted sigh as the left side of the structure collapsed. “These cheap things are trash. Totally structurally unsound.” He sighed again and straightened up. He had an older looking face, but his mannerisms were kind of young. Hyunwoo really hoped this wasn’t Minhyuk, but this kid was broader and shorter than Minhyuk had seemed in the picture. 

“Um, can I get an iced latte?” Hyunwoo asked. “Just milk, no sugar.” He noticed the kid was wearing a name tag that read “Chang Kyun” and he let out a whoosh of breath in relief. “I’m also looking for Lee Minhyuk?” 

“Oh, hey, for the interview, right?” the guy -- Changkyun -- said. “Why don’t you sit with your kid and I’ll bring you your latte.” 

Hyunwoo turned around to see Jia unsuccessfully wiggling against the straps of the highchair. Damn it, it was so hard to leave her, even for a few seconds, but he was just one person. Sometimes he had to order drinks. Eat. Pee. He felt a wave of exhaustion hit him again as he reached her in two long steps, settling his hands on her waist. “No,” he said firmly. Her little face crumpled and he really didn’t need her wailing while he was trying to talk to Minhyuk, so he said, a little desperately, “Cookie?” 

She stilled, peering up at him suspiciously through her too-long bangs. _Get her hair cut_ , he reminded himself, probably for the third time this month. One more thing to try to remember, one more thing he felt like he’d failed at. She pointed at him, which Hyunwoo took as a command to get her a cookie. While he was trying to get to the cookie stash in the backpack, Changkyun walked up to the table, waved to Jia, and put Hyunwoo’s latte down dangerously close to her. “Hyung’ll be out in a minute,” he said. “He’s making himself pretty.”

Hyunwoo wasn’t sure what being pretty had to do with anything, but Jia was making a dive for his drink and making noises that meant she was gearing up to yell, so he had to immediately turn his attention to her, shushing her and moving his drink to a safer spot on the table. He looked at it longingly, wondering if he’d actually get the chance to drink it. _Cookie_ , he remembered, turning, flustered, around to the backpack.

There was a commotion coming from somewhere behind the bar. Hyunwoo hears “Hi, okay, hi!” just before a guy comes flying out of the back room and out past the counter. Hyunwoo just gets an impression of black and white and movement as the guy nearly catches his hip on the corner of the bar, smoothly moves out of the way, and manages to shove Changkyun back toward the register before falling into the chair opposite Hyunwoo. “Hi,” he said again, smiling brightly and nodding his head in half a bow, “I’m Lee Minhyuk.”

Lee Minhyuk was...hot. Really hot. Unexpectedly hot, like he wasn’t the kind of person you’d find with visible coffee stains on his pants working in a cafe. He should have been in a drama or on the runway or something. It threw Hyunwoo for a second, how hot he was, and he fumbled for what to say. “Um, hi,” he said. His skin got hot and prickly. God, he hated talking to people sometimes. “You’re Kihyun’s friend?”

But Minhyuk was ignoring him already, his attention fully focused on Jia. “Hello young lady,” he cooed at her, leaning forward and planting a kiss on the back of one of her chubby little hands. “Delighted to meet you.” He was smiling so wide it looked like it might hurt, radiant and shining right at Jia. She looked at him hesitantly, rearing back a little. She’d become nervous of strangers recently, and Hyunwoo blamed himself and the rotating cast of child care stand-ins. _She needs stability_ , he told himself firmly, as if telling himself one more time would magically make it happen. 

Jia kept staring at Minhyuk, her little face scrunched up, then she looked at Hyunwoo for reassurance. He smiled encouragingly at her, trying to look more confident than he felt. Minhyuk was still ignoring him and smiling at her. He was singing, Hyunwoo realized, an old children’s song, with his head bopping jerkily back and forth to the beat. He looked deranged, but still kind of handsome. _He’s a lot_ , he remembered Kihyun saying. Slowly, Jia pointed at him, still looking at Hyunwoo, clearly confused. “Wah?” she asked. 

“It’s okay,” Hyunwoo reassured her. “That’s Minhyuk-ssi.” 

“Oppa,” Minhyuk corrected, “seriously, she can’t even talk yet, right? By the time she learns to talk we’re going to be best buds, so she might as well start out on the right foot.” He looked over to the backpack, which was still partially open on the table. “Hey, do you have a snack in there for her or something? That way she can eat while we talk.” 

Hyunwoo didn’t know whether to start with the presumption that Minhyuk was going to be around in the future or the fact that he was somehow being told what to do by the person he was supposed to be interviewing, but he felt so off-kilter and out of control that he just went and got Jia’s cookie and handed it over to her without saying anything else. She screeched and babbled, reaching out to him and smiling. She looked so cute right then, even with her messy hair and the formula dribbled on her bright blue shirt, that it brought him back to himself. They were here for her, this was their chance to make things okay. Minhyuk was...well, a lot, already, but he clearly loved Jia immediately and that was something. Hyunwoo handed her the cookie and kissed the top of her head, pressing his nose in to smell the top of her hair. 

“Minhyuk-ssi,” Hyunwoo said seriously as he settled back in his seat. “Tell me why you want this job.”

“I love kids and I need the money,” Minhyuk said, staring at Jia with hearts in his eyes. “And now that I’ve met her? I double want the job.” He turned to look at Hyunwoo, sweeping his eyes up and down. “Tell me more about you,” he said, crossing his legs and propping his chin on one hand. “Clearly, you’re into fitness.” 

It was a little stunning, being the focus of Minhyuk’s attention. Hyunwoo had wanted it, but now he wasn’t sure to say. “I’m um...I’m a choreographer, I...I think I’m supposed to be asking you the questions?”

“Don’t worry, you’re doing great,” Minhyuk reassured him. 

Hyunwoo just stared back. This wasn’t at all like what he’d imagined. He noticed that Jia was staring too, gnawing distractedly at the quickly-crumbling cookie mush in her hand and she tracked all of Minhyuk’s movements. “Do you have references?” he asked, finally. 

“Yes!” Minhyuk announced happily. “I have references from the daycare where I worked for a few years, and I have references from here. I also took one of those infant CPR classes about three months ago because I was watching my baby cousins and my cousin Heejin? She wasn’t going to let me _near_ those kids without one of those. I have a resume too, can I send them to you? I don’t have a printer, but I can email them?” He already had his phone in his hand and his hand was hovering over the screen. “I took a picture of the CPR certificate so I’d have it to email, I just need your info.”

Hyunwoo blinked. He wasn’t expecting this level of organization, that was a pleasant surprise. Hope fluttered in his chest. “Sure, here,” he said, giving Minhyuk his email address. Minhyuk focused on his phone, frowning slightly as he tapped on the screen. While he was quiet, Hyunwoo took the chance to study him as he wiped off Jia’s hands. Minhyuk was an entirely different person in motion, all big gestures and broad smiles. When he was still, he was shockingly handsome again, almost remote and cold looking. Both sides of him were...intimidating. Hyunwoo’s phone dinged and he looked down to see the email notification. “I’ll read through that later,” he said. “Do you want to talk about the hours?”

Minhyuk curled up in his chair and hid behind his hands, peeking out at Jia. “Boo!” he said, giggling, and she giggled back. “I’m flexible,” he said, hiding behind his hands again. “But I’d want to know-- boo!-- what hours i’d be working a few days in advance. I know what -- boo! -- kind of crazy hours people can work for an entertainment company.” 

Jia was nearly doubled over, she was laughing so hard. Hyunwoo felt himself smile in response, completely charmed by both of them, the way Minhyuk kept dramatically peeking over his hands, and the gleeful way she kicked her feet and yelled when he started to pop up. They were completely absorbed in each other. And that, more than anything else, decided him.

“Let’s do a trial night,” he said slowly. “Tomorrow I have practice for an hour, from 6-7. You could watch her then. I won’t pay you unless she’s safe at the end of it,” he warned. 

Minhyuk looked at him and rolled his eyes. Rolled his eyes! “Safe,” he snorted. “Like I’d hurt a hair on her head.” 

“Do you like Burger King,” Minhyuk cooed at Jia, tickling under her chin. “Minhyuk oppa loves Burger King, we can go and see all the big kids there, and the colors, and all the loud noises, you’d love it.” 

“She’s too young for Burger King,” Hyunwoo snapped. “You’re joking, right?” 

“I never joke about burgers,” Minhyuk said seriously. “If you’re anti-burger, you can get out.” He pointed at the door, while still winking at Jia. 

“...are you telling me to get out of _your_ interview?” Hyunwoo asked helplessly. This was it, he’d lost control entirely. It was easily the worst interview he’d ever been a part of, and yet...he wasn’t in control, for once. It was weirdly exhilarating. 

_This is going to work out_ , he thought, which was the most wildly improbable thought he’d had all day. Maybe it was the exhaustion. Maybe it was the way that Minhyuk acted the whole time like his interview was actually with Jia. Maybe he was just that desperate. But he couldn’t get the thought out of his head, not after they’d said their goodbyes and left, not after they got back home. Hyunwoo stared at his daughter, fast asleep in her crib and exhausted from the outing, and thought, despite himself, _this is going to work out._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twt: @fictionalmissp


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There weren’t a lot of people that were here to stay for him and his little family. It would be nice if someone could be, for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Z for the beta!

This wasn’t going to work. 

There was no way this was going to work. 

“He’s a stranger,” Hyunwoo said, desperately, to Hoseok, who he’d called in a moment of panic. “He’s a _weird_ stranger,” he repeated. “I’m supposed to be teaching her not to talk to strangers and here I am inviting some guy-”

“You’re freaking out,” Hoseok said. “No-- not you,” he called out, his voice turning faint. Talking to his client, Hyunwoo assumed. “You’re doing great, three more reps.” 

“I’m sorry,” Hyunwoo said. “You’re working.” He rubbed the knot that was starting to form between his eyes. Jia was in her high chair, very delicately smearing cooked carrots all over herself. She looked tiny, small and vulnerable, with her chubby cheeks and sticky orange globs in her hair. It felt like Hyunwoo’s heart was beating sideways, sometimes, when he looked at her. 

“I am,” Hoseok said, sounding regretful. “And I need to go. But you said Kihyunnie vouched for this guy, and even if you don’t know him, you know Kihyun.”

Right. Right. Okay. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll let you get back to work.”

“I’ll come by later,” Hoseok said. “I’ll intimidate him a little.” 

“Sounds good,” Hyunwoo said. “I’ll talk to you later.” He didn’t have a lot of confidence that any intimidation would work; Hoseok was only intimidating until he opened his mouth, and Hyunwoo had a sinking feeling that Minhyuk would find him cute no matter what. 

……...

Minhyuk showed up ten minutes early, wearing track pants and a t-shirt with the logo of a local pizza place on it. He had a backwards snapback on and was carrying a duffel bag in one hand and two large bottles of water in the other. He looked like a college kid ready to hit the gym. Hyunwoo had expected...well, he wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but he’d thought that, since Minhyuk was trying to get the job, he might have dressed a little more professionally?

Whatever he was thinking must have showed on his face, because Minhyuk said “I know,” as he pushed past him into the apartment. “Kihyunnie said to dress professionally, and I know he meant a button down shirt and pants that cost three times my salary and those dumb leather bags he carries around. Does he need those? I don’t think so. Here.” Minhyuk handed Hyunwoo one of the bottles of water. “I was thirsty and I thought you might want one too. Anyway,” he said, slinging the bag up on the table and unzipping the top, “I told him that ‘professional’” -- he made air quotes with his fingers “--means one thing when you’re an idol or a business guy or whatever, but when you’re working with kids, professional means comfortable, washable, and dark.” He pointed at the deep burgundy t-shirt with the picture of dancing pizza on it. “No stains.” 

“That makes sense,” Hyunwoo said, after a moment of silence where Minhyuk just looked at him expectantly. 

“ _Thank you_ , I’m going to tell Kihyun you said that, because we fought about it for like, seven hours.” Minhyuk took a big gulp of his water, closing his eyes briefly. Hyunwoo’s eyes caught on a droplet of water that trickled down from his lips down the knuckle of his thumb, where his hand was wrapped around the bottle. Minhyuk wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and Hyunwoo shook himself back to the present. 

“Jia’s sleeping,” Hyunwoo said, steering the conversation back to what he knew best. He grimaced. “Her schedule is all messed up. Normally I wouldn’t let her nap this late, but she went down late and I didn’t want to leave you with a cranky, overtired baby.” 

“Appreciated,” Minhyuk said, as he walked around the apartment, blatantly studying the few pictures Hyunwoo had up. “But I can handle an angry baby.” He bent down to look at the paper Hyunwoo had stuck to the fridge with a magnet, just a sheet of plain white paper with a smeared green handprint on it. Jia’s first artwork. “Cute,” Minhyuk cooed happily. 

“I’m going to wake the little monster up,” Hyunwoo said. “If you want to come with me.” 

“Of course,” Minhyuk said, poking at the pile of groceries on the counter that Hyunwoo hadn’t put away yet. He’d put away the fridge stuff and then...well, and then Jia started crying and then he had to play the baby shark song for her ten times and then he had to act out the baby shark song, and then...well, the groceries had just sat there for a while. A few days. Maybe. 

He wondered if Minhyuk was judging him for being a crappy dad who couldn’t even handle putting food away, never mind making it. Hyunwoo glanced at the pile of takeout boxes in the trash. 

“You have terrible taste in coffee,” was all Minhyuk said, pulling a face. “You really do need me around here.” 

“You don’t have the job yet,” Hyunwoo reminded him, but even to himself, it sounded like a weak protest. 

Minhyuk just smiled at him. “I’m a confident guy,” he said. “My mom says you have to think positive if you want things in this world.” 

Right. Positive. That was something Hyunwoo hadn’t had a lot of lately, positivity. It made him sad for Jia. It made him sad for himself. “So,” he said quickly, to get past the rising feelings in his chest, “this is the kitchen, obviously.”

“Obviously,” Minhyuk said, smiling at Hyunwoo like he was charmed by him, like Hyunwoo’s awkwardness was endearing. He had no idea how to respond to that. 

“You can grab whatever you want for snacks or drinks,” he said, opening the cabinets and showing Minhyuk where all their stuff was. He held up the binder he’d prepared earlier that day. “I wrote up instructions about what Jia can and can’t eat and her eating schedule and her sleep schedule and her favorite toys and her clothing sizes, and--”

“The doctor?” Minhyuk asked, taking the binder from him. He flipped through the pages, scanning down them with one long, slender finger. “I’ll need her pediatrician’s number, at least two emergency contacts, and a note giving me permission to make medical decisions in case of emergencies. Does she have any allergies?” 

Thrown by this sudden burst of professionalism, Hyunwoo stuttered out, “Oh, uh-- yeah. On the fridge, over here.” 

“You should have two copies, just in case,” Minhyuk said. “But I’ll take a picture with my phone.” He held up his phone and snapped a picture. “Now let’s wake up that little princess, I’m dying to see her little face.” 

…..

When they woke Jia up she was miserable, whining and clinging to Hyunwoo as she sobbed, shooting Minhyuk suspicious, angry looks. “Naaaaaa,” she wailed, bumping her head into Hyunwoo’s chest. 

“Daddy has to go to work,” Hyunwoo said, trying to sound calm, but he could hear the edge of anxiety in his voice. He hated leaving her when she was like this. And with someone she didn’t know? That was the worst. How long would she cry for?

She wailed harder and clung to him, like she knew what he was saying. Minhyuk was just looking at him sympathetically. “Oh, that’s rough,” he said. “Hang on, let me see what I have.” 

He walked out of the room, leaving Hyunwoo to kiss Jia’s forehead and sing to her, rubbing her back as she cried. He loved her so very much, why wasn’t that enough to make things easier for them? 

Minhyuk came back in, hauling the duffel bag with him. Ignoring Hyunwoo and Jia, he sat on the floor, cross-legged, and started pulling plastic containers out of it. There was nothing in the containers, they were just the kind you used to pack lunch or leftovers in, all different sizes, with the lids on them. Minhyuk picked one of them up and looked at it. “HMMMMM,” he said, with exaggerated curiosity. He opened the container and peeked inside, then tossed it on the floor next to him. 

Hyunwoo was so absorbed in trying to figure out what the hell Minhyuk was doing that he didn’t realize that Jia had stopped crying. She was also looking at Minhyuk, puzzled, tears still shimmering in her eyes. 

“Wow,” Minhyuk said with feeling, picking up a cylindrical container and shaking it. “Wow.” 

“Wah?” Jia asked pointing at Minhyuk. She started pushing against Hyunwoo’s hip, urging him to put her down. She looked as confused and intrigued as Hyunwoo felt.

Hyunwoo started to put her down and she started fussing again, so he just sat down with her. She immediately grabbed one of the containers and banged it on the floor, then banged it against another, larger container. Satisfied with the noise she’d made, she grinned at Hyunwoo, wide and gummy and drooling. Hyunwoo chuckled and smoothed her hair back. “That’s my girl,” he said. 

“So while she’s occupied,” Minhyuk said, spinning one of the lids on the end of his finger, “why don’t you tell me her routine for the night?” 

“Well, like I said, tonight’s kind of messed up,” Hyunwoo admitted. “But she’ll want to eat in about an hour, and then you can get her into her pajamas, try to tire her out a little. I’m not sure how she’ll be with you.” 

“Has she had trouble with other people watching her?” Minhyuk reached out, not making eye contact with her, and held out his hand for Jia to high-five it. She high-fived him, then did it again, smacking his hand even harder. Minhyuk winked at Hyunwoo, which was so startling that he forgot what he was saying. 

“I uh, trouble? No, no trouble. I’m the trouble. I get uh, I get worried, because she’s all I have, and I’m all _she_ has, so, you know. It’s hard.” Hyunwoo rubbed his forehead. “Here, let me show you where her pajamas are.” He stood up and Jia immediately squawked, holding her arms up. He picked her up and walked over to the shelves holding neatly folded baskets of clothes. “Here’s her stuff. Diapers are over there, in that bin. I usually just change her on the floor with a towel.” 

He looked at Minhyuk to see if he was going to make a face about the diaper thing, but he just nodded. “Sounds good.”

“And every night when she goes to bed,” Hyunwoo said, leading Minhyuk to the shelf next to Jia’s crib, “We say goodnight to okaasan, right?” Hyunwoo jiggled Jia on his hip and kissed her cheek. “Don’t we?” 

“Ka!” Jia said gleefully, pointing at the picture on the shelf. It was Meiko, smiling, looking over her shoulder. Her hair was still in motion and her face was a little blurry, but it was the only picture Hyunwoo had of her looking really happy. 

Minhyuk frowned, mouthing the word to himself. “Her mother?” he asked. It was the first time Hyunwoo had seen him looking really unsure. “Is she, um. Is she--”

“No,” Hyunwoo said quickly. “She’s not dead.” He hesitated, chewing a little on his lip. He hated this part, telling other people Meiko’s business, but he wanted to make it clear that she wasn’t a neglectful mother or anything like that. “We weren’t together,” he said, “not really. It was casual.” Minhyuk nodded, quiet for a change. “She was here for a semester from Osaka. She has a really strict family, very traditional. Especially her father. He wasn’t--” Hyunwoo never knew how much to say here. “I don’t think they would have been safe,” he said carefully. “If she went back pregnant, or with a new baby.” He dropped three kisses on the top of Jia’s head, one, two, three, without even thinking about it. “I don’t really know, I only know what she told me, but. She didn’t feel safe. She was scared. I offered to help her stay here, but.” He shrugged. “She was scared of that too, scared that her family would find her, that she could never go back to Japan. I don’t know.” 

“You had other options,” Minhyuk said, and he was staring at Hyunwoo, that laser focus all over again. “Other than keeping her yourself.”

“Yeah,” Hyunwoo said. “But this is what I wanted, and what Meiko wanted. I hope she’ll get to meet Jia someday.” He said it casually, like he didn’t fantasize about it daily, the idea of Jia getting to meet her mom.

“Do you miss her?” Minhyuk asked, touching the frame. “Hi, Jia’s mom,” he said brightly, smiling down at the picture. “I’ll take good care of them.” He blew the picture a kiss.

Hyunwoo felt his throat close up and he had to clear it, blinking sudden tears out of his eyes. “I do,” he said. “We were friends, kind of, and I never really got the chance to be with her much outside of the stress of her pregnancy.” He shrugged. “We weren’t in love, if that’s what you’re asking. I didn’t know her well enough for that. But I liked her.” He smiled. “Jia looks like her when she laughs, sometimes.” 

“Well then I like her too,” Minhyuk said. “And don’t you have to get to work?” 

After walking Minhyuk through the rest of the nighttime routine quickly, Hyunwoo was late enough that he had to take a cab to work. He rushed in, apologizing to the director before getting right to work. He let the ringer on his phone, something he almost never did while working, just in case. During their break, he rushed to his phone to check it.

Two messages from Minhyuk, 30 minutes ago. His heart started pounding. Was Jia hurt? Was something wrong? His sweat-slick fingers slid on the glass as he swiped open the notification. 

Oh. It was just a picture of the two of them, with these snow filters that made them look like rabbits. And then another where they looked like old men with mustaches. They looked happy and cute and Hyunwoo could really, finally breathe again. This was going to work. Oh shit, this was _going to work_. He was going to hire Minhyuk and he’d have reliable childcare and god, maybe he could _sleep_ again. Hyunwoo wanted to cry out of sheer relief. 

…………

Hyunwoo had read somewhere that you shouldn’t call nannies to tell them you were coming home, so you could walk in and see what was really going on. It seemed a little sneaky but also good advice, so Hyunwoo didn’t text Minhyuk on his way back. He just keyed in the code as fast as he could and opened the door with maybe more force than he’d intended in his haste, startling Minhyuk, who was sitting next to Hoseok on the couch and showing him his phone. Hoseok, Hyunwoo noted, was wearing what he called his tough guy shirt, a white t-shirt so tight that it just made him look like he should be grinding on a pole. 

Hyunwoo’s eyes went right to Jia, who was wearing clean pajamas and sitting on a blanket spread out on the floor. She had a plastic block in one hand and was drooling all over it happily. She looked up, saw him, and immediately burst into tears. “Baaaaaaa,” she wailed, holding up her arms and making the most ridiculous pouty face. 

“She was fine!” Minhyuk said, sitting up on the couch. He looked slightly alarmed. “She was fine all night, I swear! It’s just like, she remembered you were gone or something.” 

“It’s okay,” Hyunwoo said, as he moved to sweep Jia up into his arms. He pretended to nibble on her cheeks until she switched from crying to laughing. She sounded a little hysterical,she was probably really tired. “She does this when I leave her a lot. I’m used to it. She’ll be mad for ten, fifteen minutes then forget about it.”

Minhyuk slumped back against the couch in relief and Hoseok petted his hair. “I like him,” Hoseok announced. “He’s so cute.” 

“So things went okay?” Hyunwoo asked, holding Jia close as he sat down on the couch next to Minhyuk. “No problems?”

“Nope, she’s a good kid.” Minhyuk shrugged. “Some crankiness, a definite diaper situation, but hey, that’s what you get with babies.” He looked at Hyunwoo. “Did you eat? You should eat.” He turned to Hoseok. “He doesn’t take care of himself, does he?” he asked, like Hyunwoo wasn’t sitting right there. 

“I _really_ like him,” Hoseok said, looking at Hyunwoo pointedly. 

“I’ll eat later,” Hyunwoo said, ignoring him. “Why don’t we talk about the specifics of the job and your schedule next week? If you still want it?” 

Minhyuk’s eyes rounded. “Really? I got the job?” He put his hand on his chest. “You’re serious?”

“Hey, where’s that positive thinking?” Hyunwoo mumbled, slightly flustered by how intensely Minhyuk was looking at him. “I thought you knew you had it in the bag.” 

“Knowing and knowing are two different things,” Minhyuk said. He leaned forward and for a second Hyunwoo thought he was going to hug him -- but no, he just poked and tickled Jia, smiling from ear to ear.

“You hear that, baby girl?” he asked. “Oppa is here to stay.” 

_Here to stay_ , Hyunwoo thought, watching as Minhyuk held his hand out for Jia to loudly, painfully high five. There weren’t a lot of people that were here to stay for him and his little family. It would be nice if someone could be, for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twt: @fictionalmissp
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you all so much for your lovely comments!


	4. four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyuk settles in. There are pirates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to C for the beta!

After that first successful night, Minhyuk picked up right where the last nanny had left off, and then some. He showed up every day in the same comfortable gym clothes, duffel in hand, ready to work, no matter when Hyunwoo needed him to be there. Sometimes he had early morning practice, sometimes he was called to coach a group through an evening shoot, sometimes he had last-minute meetings with the art direction team or the medical team, like when the lead rapper in one of the girl groups pulled a tendon in her left knee. Hyunwoo’s schedule was as erratic as ever, but it didn’t matter -- there was Minhyuk, whenever he needed him, right on time. Just that alone was such a weight off of Hyunwoo’s shoulders, he didn’t even know how to express it. 

Granted, if Hyunwoo needed Minhyuk there before 10am? Minhyuk showed up puffy-faced and sleepy, still wearing pajama pants. “It’s a protest,” he said. “For inhumane hours.” 

“Um, I also have to go to work and I don’t get to wear pajamas,” Hyunwoo pointed out, gesturing toward his jeans and dress shirt. 

“Yeah,” Minhyuk agreed, settling on the couch and closing his eyes. “Sucks.” 

“Can I get you anything before I leave, your highness?” Hyunwoo asked, rolling his eyes. “Jia’s taking her morning nap.” 

“Nope, I’m good,” Minhyuk answered, completely ignoring his sarcasm. He wiggled until he sunk a little deeper into the couch, crossing his arms across his chest. 

Hyunwoo sighed, picking up his work bag. He put his shoes on and shut the door behind him as carefully as he could, trying not to make too much noise. He told himself that it was so he wouldn’t wake up Jia. 

It said a lot, he thought to himself later, that he could leave Jia with a sleepy (and probably sleeping) Minhyuk, that he trusted that Minhyuk would wake up when she woke up, that he knew she’d be well taken care of no matter what. It was a feeling he never quite had with any of his other nannies or part time babysitters, and it was strange that he had it with this weird, loud, beautiful boy.

Later that day, at practice, Kihyun asked him how things were going with Minhyuk. “I’d ask him,” he said grimly, “but I know him. He’d say things were fine forever until they really weren’t.” Kihyun looked at him expectantly. 

Hyunwoo filed that piece of information about Minhyuk away for later. He wouldn’t have described Minhyuk that way; Minhyuk was unbearably, aggressively sweet, sure, but he was also blunt. He never hesitated to tell Hyunwoo when he didn’t like his hair, his clothes, his groceries, his taste in music. The idea that Minhyuk might be hiding things was a little uncomfortable. _You’re his employer_ , Hyunwoo reminded himself. _Don’t be silly_.

“It’s going great,” he assured Kihyun. “You’re right, he’s amazing with kids. Jia’s in love with him, and he’s so good with her.”

“Oh yeah,” Kihyun said, smiling fondly. “I wasn’t worried about that part, I told you he was good with kids. How are _you_ getting along? I know he can be a lot.”

Hyunwoo felt vaguely insulted on Minhyuk’s behalf. Sure, Minhyuk was loud and opinionated and kind of handsy and had poor boundaries, but he had the biggest heart Hyunwoo had ever seen. “Great,” he said firmly. “Minhyuk’s great, he’s reliable and dependable and kind. He’s just got a big personality, that’s all.” Hyunwoo realized he was speaking a little loudly and leading forward into Kihyun’s space. Kihyun was just looking at him, one eyebrow raised, amused. “I think it’s cute,” Hyunwoo said, a little defensively. “He’s cute.”

Kihyun held his hands up and laughed. “Okay, okay, trust me, I know,” he said. “He’s just a little more fragile than he looks, okay? People can shit on him because he’s so friendly. Take advantage. Not that I thought you would,” he said quickly, “I was just checking.” 

“How did you meet?” Hyunwoo asked, leaning forward and grabbing Kihyun’s hands to pull him into a stretch. 

“Oh it was when you and Hoseok hyung were in the military,” Kihyun said. “He was a trainee here for a while. That’s how Jooheon and I know him. He left for a while, he’s only been back in Seoul for a little bit. How is hyung anyway? We never see him anymore.” 

Hyunwoo wanted to ask why Minhyuk went away and where he went, why he wasn’t a trainee anymore, but trainee years were painful times for everyone, and he didn’t need to go prying into Minhyuk’s past. So he told Kihyun about Hoseok’s personal training business, which he’d started after leaving the company, along with some anecdotes about his latest clients, and the conversation drifted away from there. 

Still, Hyunwoo couldn’t quite forget _he’s more fragile than he looks_ for a good long while.

……….

When Hyunwoo had other nannies, they’d usually meet him at the door with their things collected, sometimes with a jotted down list of the things Jia had done that day. They were polite, the apartment was picked up a bit (but not _too_ much, he was reminded on more than one occasion that nannies were not a cleaning service) and they exchanged some brief pleasantries before the nanny escaped back to their own lives, their own children and grandchildren. 

With Minhyuk, Hyunwoo never knew what he was coming home to. One day, Minhyuk and Jia had made a fortress of some kind out of pillows and Hyunwoo’s spare sheets. “A fort?” Minhyuk had said, offended, poking at Hyunwoo’s leg from between the pillows with the end of a spatula. “It’s a _ship_ , obviously.” 

“Obviously,” Hyunwoo said, and sat down to play peek-a-boo with Jia behind one of the folds of the blankets. 

“We’re pirates,” Minhyuk declared proudly. “Jia-ah, tell Daddy _arrrrrrr_.”

“Raaaaahhhhhh!” She popped up on her knees, knocking over one of the pillows. 

Minhyuk sighed in mock disappointment. “That’s a little too much dinosaur, princess.” He hugged her and winked at Hyunwoo. “That’s okay, we’ll do Jurassic Park next time.” 

Sometimes, if Hyunwoo got home really late, Minhyuk would already be asleep on the couch. There was one night where practice just kept going and going and going and _nobody_ was leaving. Hyunwoo texted Minhyuk his apologies over and over again, and Minhyuk just sent back _why do you keep talking to me, you’ll never get out of there_. 

When Hyunwoo finally got home, Minhyuk was curled up on the couch, his arm falling off the edge at an awkward angle. He looked cold, and small. Minhyuk was always moving and talking and yelling and laughing, it was strange to see him like this. Hyunwoo was struck again by his profile -- usually he could forget about how hot Minhyuk was, because his personality kind of overshadowed everything, but like this, unmoving, his lips parted slightly in his sleep -- he could have been in a perfume ad or something. He was stunning. Hyunwoo wondered, suddenly, if Minhyuk was dating someone. It didn’t seem like it? Hyunwoo couldn’t imagine Minhyuk keeping quiet about anything, much less a romantic partner. It just seemed strange, that was all. Minhyuk was really great and really hot, it was weird that he’d be single. 

As Hyunwoo was standing there like a creep watching him, Minhyuk shivered and twitched in his sleep. Shit. Hyunwoo went and got the spare pillow from his room and a blanket. He shook Minhyuk awake carefully, trying not to startle him too badly. “Hey,” he whispered. “I’m home.”

“Wha-?” Minhyuk sat up a little, looking around the room, bleary-eyed and confused. 

“Do you have anywhere you need to be?” Hyunwoo asked. “You can stay here, if you want. It’s late.”

“Mmmm,” Minhyuk said, already closing his eyes. Hyunwoo slipped the pillow under him just as he laid his head back down. “Stay.” 

“Okay,” Hyunwoo whispered. “Good night.” He tucked the blanket over Minhyuk and smoothed his hair back, just like he did with Jia. At the last moment he leaned forward, so used to Jia being the only person he ever put to bed, and was about to give Minhyuk a quick kiss on the cheek goodnight. He startled back, staring at Minhyuk’s sleeping form. God, he was treating adults like his baby daughter. He needed to get a grip. “Good night,” he whispered again, backing quickly away from the couch. 

When Hyunwoo woke up the next morning, Jia was already awake, eating a banana in her high chair. Minhyuk was sitting across from her, drinking coffee and eating the other half of the banana. His hair was sticking up in little fluffy tufts, like a bird’s nest, and he still had pillow creases on his face. It was intimate, to see someone else like that, just after they woke up, and for a second, Hyunwoo didn’t know how to act. He was the employer here, he needed to keep it professional. Talk about payment for the extra hours, something like that. 

But Minhyuk interrupted his thoughts by saying, “Coffee’s on the counter. I’m borrowing your clothes and some deodorant if I’m just going to stay here until you have to go into work. My pits stink.” 

“Um, okay.” Hyunwoo said, busying himself with getting his coffee. “I’ll pay you extra,” he said, “for staying.” 

“Um, obviously,” Minhyuk said, looking up from his phone long enough to roll his eyes at him. 

Right. Obviously.  
………..  
One day, Hyunwoo came home to find Minhyuk sitting on the couch, looking drawn and pale. He wasn’t laughing or joking or telling Hyunwoo off the second he walked in the door, or playing with Jia, which was an immediate, massive red flag. He looked so distraught, so agitated, with his lip bitten red and his hands twisting in his lap, that Hyunwoo immediately panicked, looking for Jia--

\--but no, she was there, calmly digging through a cup of snacks. Through the cold haze of adrenaline, he scanned her, his breath still high and tight in his throat, but she looked completely unharmed. Not a scratch on her, wearing clean clothes...everything looked okay. 

“What,” Hyunwoo snapped, harsher than he’d intended. Minhyuk’s head snapped up. “What’s wrong?” Hyunwoo asked, trying to gentle his tone. Maybe it was something personal, family stuff maybe. Where did Minhyuk’s family live? Gwangju, right? That was far. He started thinking about his schedule, and how things could be rearranged if Minhyuk needed to take personal time. 

“I didn’t know what to do,” Minhyuk blurted out. He looked at Jia and looked at Hyunwoo. “I didn’t know if I should call you to come home, or send you a video, or-- I didn’t want to interrupt your work day, you know? And I didn’t want you to feel bad for missing anything, or-- Oh god, you probably think it’s something bad, it’s nothing bad, I promise, she’s fine--”

“Minhyuk,” Hyunwoo said, sitting next to him on the couch and dropping his hand on the back of Minhyuk’s neck. Now that he knew it wasn’t anything bad, he could focus on Minhyuk’s distress. “Breathe.”

Minhyuk did, shakily, while fumbling for his phone. “Here,” he said, handing Hyunwoo his phone. He’d pulled up a video from his camera roll. 

Smiling encouragingly at Minhyuk, because Jia really did seem okay, Hyunwoo played the video. It was blurry, shaking all over the place, but you could see Jia, holding herself up on the coffee table and looking around the room. It was hard to tell, but Hyunwoo could see the little line that formed between her eyes when she was really focusing on something. She leaned forward, swaying a little, then held her arms out to Minhyuk as she staggered forward, taking two shaky steps until she collapsed, squealing, into Minhyuk’s lap. 

No, wait. That was Minhyuk squealing. It was...piercing. 

Hyunwoo felt his heart pounding, a mixture of pride and fear welling up in him. She was _walking_. Walking! Oh wow, he had so much more babyproofing to do. Did this mean she was a toddler now? No, she hadn’t even had her birthday yet, she couldn’t be a toddler. In his swirl of excited thoughts, he realized that Minhyuk was sitting next to him, tense and quiet, waiting for his reaction. 

“It’s okay,” Hyunwoo said softly. “You did the right thing.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve missed a lot. The first time she laughed. The first time she sat up. It sucks.” 

He paused, trying to gather the right words. “It _sucks_ , he repeated. “It stings every time, but I’m a single parent.” Hyunwoo shrugged. “It means you miss stuff sometimes. I’ve told myself that it doesn’t matter as much that I’m there for the first time, as long as I’m there as much as possible.” Awkwardly pulling his arm up from in between them, he settled it around Minhyuk’s shoulders. “You did good,” he said. “You’re right, I would have been distracted if you’d sent me the video or called me to come home. It’s okay.”

“Oh!” Minhyuk said, slightly hysterically, and launched himself into Hyunwoo’s side. He clung there, both arms wrapped around Hyunwoo’s chest, one leg thrown over his lap. “Oh, I was so worried.” 

Hyunwoo froze. He wasn’t really used to this kind of physical affection from people. It was nice, even if Minhyuk’s grip was slightly painful. Jia looked at them both and chortled before turning back to her toys, as if to say _You’re on your own, dad._. He patted Minhyuk on the back, not really sure where else to put his hands. Was he supposed to give him a manly whack on the shoulder? Rub his arm comfortingly? He landed somewhere in the middle, kind of aggressively sliding his hand on Minhyuk’s bicep. 

Whatever he was doing (and really, he had no idea) seemed to work for Minhyuk, who sighed and snuggled in to him. “You’re very comfortable,” he announced. “Like a giant stuffed animal.” 

Hyunwoo felt his face grow warm. He was suddenly aware of how much he might or might not be sweating, and if Minhyuk could tell. “Umm,” he said, pawing at Minhyuk’s bicep again, “so did she do it again? Walk?”

Minhyuk sat up, sliding out from under Hyunwoo’s arm. It immediately felt colder. “No,” he sighed. “I couldn’t get her to do it again, the little monster. She keeps looking at me like I’m nuts. I have _video evidence_ ,” Minhyuk said firmly, turning his attention to Jia. He held out his phone and shook it at her. “Oppa won’t stand for your tricks and deception.” She just gave him a withering look and carefully poured her snacks on the floor. 

“Maybe she’ll do it for daddy,” Hyunwoo said, sliding off the couch and onto the floor. “Hi baby,” he said softly. “Did you do something fun today?” She looked at him and pointed, giggling. He held out his arms. “Come on,” he said, leaning forward and smiling at her, “Daddy missed you.” 

Jia grinned at him, drooling. She held out a fistful of snacks. “Apapapapa,” she babbled, leaning forward, one hand still on the coffee table. 

“Nyam nyam,” Hyunwoo said, making a chewing face. “Can I have those snacks? Mmmmmm, snacks.” He opened his mouth. She wobbled a little, then screeched in glee, shoving away from the table, fist of mushy crackers still extended in front of her, and stepped forward, shaky at first, then correcting herself, taking one, two, three steps until she was in Hyunwoo’s lap, rubbing mushy cracker bits in his face. “That’s my girl,” he said. He blinked away sudden tears as he kissed the top of her head. “That’s my big girl.”

“Oh god,” Minhyuk said from the couch. Hyunwoo looked up and Minhyuk was openly sobbing, his phone out, filming the whole thing. “Oh god, our baby is growing up.” 

It was silly; it was just Minhyuk being dramatic as usual, but hearing him say “our baby” made Hyunwoo’s chest get a little tight. Meiko hadn’t had the chance to be there for Jia’s milestones, wouldn’t be there to hear her learning to talk or, probably for her first day of school. It was just Jia and Hyunwoo, the two of them, and it always would be, but it was so incredibly _nice_ to have Minhyuk there in this moment, to have someone else to share in the moment. Someone else to hold the phone and film the damn thing, so Hyunwoo didn’t have to be torn between recording the moment and being present. Another adult there to feel how momentous this all was. Hyunwoo scooped up Jia, brushed the crackers off his face, and sat next to Minhyuk on the couch. “Thank you,” he said again, trying to put everything he was feeling into those few simple words. “We’re lucky to have you.”

He expected Minhyuk to jump on him again, maybe wrap him in a smothering hug, or tell him that they _were_ lucky, thank you very much. Something silly and goofy, but he looked flustered instead, a little taken aback. Minhyuk opened his mouth and closed it again. Hyunwoo was just about to tease him for being speechless for the first time in his life when Jia crawled over him and lurched into Minhyuk’s lap. It startled him out of whatever mood he was in and he bopped her on the nose with his finger, pretending to be stern. 

“Oh, I see how it is,” he said, trying to keep a straight face. “You were waiting for daddy so you could show off.” She chuckled, a deep, throaty laugh from her belly, and Minhyuk cracked, his face breaking into a wide smile. “Good girl,” he said fondly. 

“Do you want noodles?” Hyunwoo blurted out. He wasn’t thinking about it before he said it, but today felt special. It was a milestone, and he wanted to keep sharing that feeling with someone. “I’ll order jjajangmyeon. To celebrate.” 

“Hell yeah,” Minhyuk said, holding out his hand for Jia to high-five him. “Noodle night to celebrate.” 

“You don’t have anywhere to be?” Hyunwoo asked, suddenly concerned. “I mean, you don’t have to hang out with us, I know it’s like, your job. I’m not being your boss right now.”

Minhyuk just shot him a confused and slightly offended look before leaning over to Jia and stage-whispering _”Hey boss, that guy over there thinks he’s in charge.”_

Well, Hyunwoo definitely felt less bad about it now. After he called for noodles, he sent his parents the video of Jia walking that Minhyuk had sent him. They wouldn’t be able to see it until they got back to their hotel wifi, but they’d kill him if he didn’t send it right away. He missed them and he knew they’d be sad that they missed this, sadder than he was, maybe. It was almost like he felt worse for them missing things than he did for himself, or he felt worse about feeling alone and not getting to share her development with them. With Meiko. There were a lot of people who loved Jia in this world, but they couldn’t all be here, so he had to be here for her twice as hard. 

He looked over to where Minhyuk was holding Jia and tickling her feet and felt grateful, all over again, that he they were a little less alone than they were before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and being patient! I have been trying to finish up another shorter WIP before focusing back on this one, hence the slow updates. I'm so happy people seem to like this fic, I love these boys a lot.


	5. five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> forced proximity, baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It lives! I haven't abandoned it! I have been so stuck on this for so long, but I think I have things moving now? Thanks to anyone who's still hanging in there with me. Also please note that I have added a rough estimate of how many chapters there will be, though that might change depending on how I break things up at the end.

In Hyunwoo’s line of work, there were never early days. There were only mostly on time days, late days, and really late days. It took a literal act of god for him to get sent home, like the day he’d been booked to be onsite at a video shoot to help the dancers and one of the worst storms he’d ever seen came crashing upon them, entirely unexpectedly. Between the wind and the lightning, it was completely unsafe to shoot, and Hyunwoo was supposed to have had the day off anyway, so the director sent him home. He liked being with Jia when the weather was bad anyway; it made him feel like he was keeping her safe somehow, even if all he was doing was singing to her and cuddling her. 

He’d never quite seen weather like this; the sky over Seoul was black and ominous, the rain coming down in blinding sheets. People were running for cover, hunched over in bus shelters, struggling with their umbrellas. Hyunwoo was lucky enough to hail a cab; he’d eat that expense if it meant getting home to Jia faster. Another reason he liked being home with her in bad weather was because being away from her made him anxious; his brain came up with a million and one ways things could go wrong, she could get hurt, lightning could strike the building-- anything. What difference it would make that he was there or not when lightning struck the building, Hyunwoo wasn’t sure, but seeing her always eased his anxiety.

When he finally got home, dripping wet just from the dash between the car and his building and utterly exhausted, Minhyuk and Jia were sitting in the kitchen. Jia was playing the game where she threw her cereal on the floor and pointed for Minhyuk to pick it up. “I’m more stubborn than you,” Minhyuk was saying over her gleeful screeches as Hyunwoo walked through the door. “And cuter, I can out-wait and out-cute you all day.”

“I don’t know, she’s pretty cute,” Hyunwoo said, kicking his shoes off and hanging up his dripping jacket. At Minhyuk’s questioning look, he said “Outside shoot today.”

Minhyuk snorted. “Yeah, I guess that’s not happening.” He picked up some of Jia’s cereal and flung it on the floor, to her delight. As she was giggling, Minhyuk looked at him, looked away, and looked again. “Why don’t you get dry,” he said, “wet denim is no fun.” Minhyuk’s gaze swept up and down Hyunwoo’s soaked clothes, and then he turned away quickly. Whatever that look was, Hyunwoo couldn’t quite interpret it; he wasn’t used to Minhyuk being shy or reserved or hard to read. 

Whatever Minhyuk’s deal was, Hynwoo didn’t have time for it. He was dripping water and his jeans were soaked, so he made a beeline for his bedroom, quickly changing into sweats and a t-shirt. It was an incredible feeling, being warm and dry and safe in his own home. Rain pounded against the windows and lightning crackled across the sky, but he was here, listening to the faint sounds of Minhyuk and Jia in the kitchen, huddled deep into a soft sweatshirt. It was nice, a rare moment of comfort in his busy life.

When he got out to the kitchen, Minhyuk was near the door, pulling on his jacket -- too light for this weather, Hyunwoo noticed -- and rooting around for his shoes, with Jia “helping” by throwing her own shoes at him. “You have perfect aim,” he was saying to her. “Oppa is going to teach you how to play baseball this summer.” 

“Where are you going?” Hyunwoo asked. Somehow it didn’t occur to him that his coming home meant Minhyuk had to leave. “Um, I mean, you can leave if you want, of course, you don’t have to work. But it’s really bad out there. If you want to just hang out, off the clock, you can do that.” 

“Oh thank god,” Minhyuk said, before Hyunwoo barely had the words out, yanking off his jacket. “I was going to very manfully walk to the bus and then very manfully cry my way home, but I really, really don’t want to go out in that.” Grabbing his bag from where it was on the floor next to the shoe rack, he plopped on the couch and started digging inside. “Off the clock, right?” 

Hyunwoo was a little concerned about what he might be pulling out of that bag just because he was off the clock, but he trusted that Minhyuk wouldn’t cross a line. “Yeah, just to hang out. You don’t have to watch Jia, you can just stay until this blows over.” 

Minhyuk pulled a smaller bag out of his bag and began taking things out of it. Out came a watch, several silver rings, a bracelet. Long earrings. Hyunwoo watched as Minhyuk put all of these on, slipping them on his long fingers and bony wrists; a silver chain went around his neck and Hyunwoo couldn’t stop watching the way he tilted his jaw to the side to fasten the clasp. It felt...uncomfortably personal. Intimate. Hyunwoo looked away.

“We should cook something,” Minhyuk was saying. “Just in case the power goes out. Or we can order?”

It was hard to cook by himself with Jia around; the idea of having another set of adult hands was incredibly appealing. But he’d promised Minhyuk he wouldn’t have to work, so he didn’t want to make him watch Jia while he cooked...on the other hand, he wouldn’t make some delivery guy come out in this mess, that was just unkind. 

“Oh my god, you’re thinking so loudly, stop it.” Minhyuk had gotten up from the couch, Jia perched on his hip. She was poking at the earring that was now dangling from one ear. Hyunwoo couldn’t help but follow the way the thin line of silver traced along his jawline. “We’ll cook together and watch her together, okay? I swear, if you start treating me like the help, you’ll be the first to know. Also, I’ve had my eye on that galbi you bought yesterday.”

“Can you cook?” Hyunwoo asked. He’d never seen Minhyuk make anything more complicated than fried rice.

“Nope,” Minhyuk said cheerfully, plopping himself and Jia in a chair. “But you can, and I’m great at washing vegetables.” 

Hyunwoo was very conscious, at first, of how he was moving around the room. He wanted to split his time between paying attention to Jia and paying attention to the food; he didn’t want to just leave the baby care to Minhyuk. But Minhyuk had a way of making things feel natural and he eased up, trading off baby duty for chopping onions, blowing raspberries on her tummy while Minhyuk rinsed mushrooms, listening to Jia’s chuckles as he brought out the grill pan. Minhyuk put on some music while they worked, mix of Western pop artists and some idol groups, with a few ballads thrown in. Minhyuk sang as he danced Jia around the kitchen, crooning to her in a low, husky voice. 

 

“Wow,” Hyunwoo said, his tongs poised halfway to the meat. “You can really sing.”

Minhyuk shot him an unreadable look and Hyunwoo remembered, suddenly, that Minhyuk had been a trainee. “Thanks,” was all he said. “I like to sing.”

The air was a little awkward between them now, so Hyunwoo raised the tongs to his face and started to sing too, making exaggerated faces at Jia until she laughed in Minhyuk’s arms. He did a little footwork, a little spin, landing barely a foot in front of her, and she howled in delight. Minhyuk was laughing too, looking at Hyunwoo with something shining in his eyes.

"You can sing too," Minhyuk said. "You've been holding out."

"I'm okay." Hyunwoo shrugged. "I've been mostly working on dancing, but singing is fun."

"We should go out to the noraebang sometime." Minhyuk winked at him and said, "off the clock, of course. I can do a killer Haru Haru, you should see me."

Hyunwoo wondered if he was allowed to be off the clock with Minhyuk, really, even after working hours. He wondered what it meant that he wanted to, very badly. Something about Minhyuk, _this_ Minhyuk with silver shimmering in his ears and on his hands, with a wicked glint in his eye, made Hyunwoo remember what it was like when he was younger and watched boys at clubs and bars. He wanted to sing and dance for this Minhyuk, show off for him.

It was stupid. Dangerous. Selfish. Hyunwoo wasn't allowed to have those thoughts anymore. No dating, certainly not dating boys. Definitely never, ever dating the best nanny Jia had ever had. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"What?" Minhyuk was saying. Hyunwoo wasn't sure what the look was on his face, but whatever it was, the smile was faltering on Minhyuk's face. "Please tell me you're not a Big Bang anti, I couldn't work here anymore."

"Big V.I.P. huh?" Hyunwoo shook off those stupid, selfish, silly thoughts and focused back on the food. "Who's your bias?"

"If your bias isn't G-Dragon, you're making bad choices," Minhyuk said, putting his feet up on the chair across from him, waving a veggie stick in the air and crunching into it loudly, to make his point. "And don't think you can shame me, I was an official V.I.P. for five years, saved up every won from my part time job as a delivery boy to pay my dues. No shame here."

"Is that why you wanted to be an idol?" Hyunwoo asked, turning off the stove and putting the food in a serving dish.

Silence.

Oh, damn it. Damn it. Hyunwoo realized what he'd said. He turned around to Minhyuk, who had Jia in his lap and was hugging her from behind, looking-- not quite sad, but dimmed. "I'm sorry," Hyunwoo said. "That's personal, and-- it's information I shouldn't have, I'm really, really sorry."

"Let me guess, Kihyun spilled?" Not letting Hyunwoo answer, Minhyuk went on. "Well, I guess I'm just going to hold this over his head, uh, _forever_ , but yeah, it's fine, don't worry about it. I used to be a trainee, my parents couldn't afford it anymore, and I left. I think every fourth guy my age in Seoul has a similar story. No big deal. I got out, I went home for a year to help out, did my service, and now I'm here."

Hyunwoo wasn't sure what to say to that. If Hoseok was here, he'd be hugging Minhyuk, maybe crying a little. Hyunwoo wasn't going to do either of those things. "I'm glad you're here," he finally said, smiling awkwardly at Minhyuk.

"Maaaaaaahhhhhh," Jia half-shrieked, half-whined, going boneless and trying to slide onto the floor. "Nyam, nyam, nyam," she chanted, kicking her feet.

"Hungry girl," Minnhyuk said, kissing her cheek. "Daddy's making dinner, don't worry." Minhyuk stood up, flinging her over his shoulder, making her giggle. He blew a raspberry into her side and she giggled again. Hyunwoo couldn't help but watch them both, completely enraptured. He was so grateful for whatever circumstances brought Minhyuk to them, even if it wasn't fair, even if it was something difficult that happened in Minhyuk's past. he could give himself this, he decided. He could be selfish enough to be glad Minhyuk was here, and that would be enough.

 

...............

After dinner, Jia fell asleep in front of the coffee table, her little butt sticking up in the air and her face smushed into the carpet. She still had the handle of one of her sippy cups clutched in her hand. Hyunwoo and Minhyuk looked at each other. “I’m not moving her,” Minhyuk said.

“Hell no,” Hyunwoo replied. He reached out his hand and silently gestured at Minhyuk, who grabbed her purple blanket off the couch and tossed it to Hyunwoo. After carefully draping it over her, Hyunwoo settled back on the couch. “She won’t sleep long there,” he murmured. “When she wakes up I’ll get her back in the crib.”

They watched her in silence for a little bit. And then it hit Hyunwoo how completely silent it was; the constant howling wind and spattering rain were gone; there was no thunder rolling in the distance. Through the curtains he could only see a gentle, pattering rain hitting the windows, visible only in the distortion and trails of the city lights outside. "It's cleared up," he murmured, not wanting to wake up Jia.

"Sweet," Minhyuk said, stretching, arching his back and pressing his hands into the base of his spine. "I can get home to my own bed."

"I hope this was okay," Hyunwoo said. "I know it was kind of like staying late at work." 

"Free food, good company, can't complain." Minhyuk winked at him. "But yeah, I'm ready to go home. I'm off tomorrow, right?"

“Yep, and I’ll see you on Saturday because I have that morning shoot.” 

“Ugh, early.” Minhyuk made a face. “Buy that coffee I like if I have to be here that early.” Picking up his bags, Minhyuk checked for his wallet, his keys, his phone. He had a life to go back to, Hyunwoo reminded himself. Today was a blip, a weird little pocket out of time. Tomorrow it was back to just him and Jia, like it always would be. It was smart to remember that. 

“Kiss the princess goodbye for me,” Minhyuk was saying, causing Hyunwoo’s cheeks to heat for absolutely no reason. “I’ll see you Saturday.” Minhyuk paused by the door, shifting from foot to foot in an uncharacteristically hesitant little shuffle. “This was nice,” he said, “thanks for letting me stay.” 

“It’s not a problem,” Hyunwoo said, and then, horrifying himself, he added, “I don’t get a lot of company, it was nice having you around.”

“That’s really sad,” Minhyuk said earnestly. “You have to get out more. I’ll watch the kiddo if you want to take some lucky girl out, show her your dance moves.” Hyunwoo looked down at his hands, blinking. He couldn’t see Minhyuk, but he could hear the carefulness of his tone when he said, “Or some lucky boy, who knows, anyway, you should have some fun for yourself.”

_I’m just learning to breathe,_ Hyunwoo didn’t say. _You’re the first person I’ve been attracted to since Meiko. I barely know who I am anymore, I’m just her dad._

“Oh, I don’t know,” Hyunwoo heard himself say finally. “Sleep is pretty much the only thing I’m into these days.” He finally let himself look at Minhyuk, who was watching him with a curious expression. “I just have fantasies about sleeping for an entire day. Twenty-four hours. No interruptions.”

“That’s hot,” Munhyuk said without a trace of irony. “I’ll give you that, that’s pretty damn good. Anyway,” he gave Hyunwoo a little wave and blew the sleeping Jia a kiss. “See you on Saturday.”

He left, and Hyunwoo sat in the quiet, thinking about the afternoon. Falling for the nanny was out of the question, of course, Hyunwoo had to watch himself there, but there was something-- it was nice. It was nice to smile and be with someone he liked. For a while, Hyunwoo thought he was incapable of even being attracted to anyone anymore, like maybe being a dad had killed that part of him. Or maybe just swallowed it up so the old person he’d been was completely absorbed by the new person he was now, the person who only cared about nap schedules and balanced meals and trying to pay his bills. Being reminded of who he used to be , that the person he once was lived inside him somewhere...he couldn’t regret that. Not for just one afternoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twt: @fictionalmissp


	6. six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunwoo is a people person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this story wouldn't exist without agata, thank you darling

After the storm, things mostly went back to normal. Hyunwoo expected there to be some awkwardness, or over-familiarity, but Minhyuk was always over-familiar, steamrolling Hyunwoo’s ideas and teasing him for being too rigid, so really, not much changed. The only thing that changed was the was that sometimes Hyunwoo looked at Minhyuk and remembered that he didn’t wear jewelry so Jia wouldn’t pull it, and he wondered what else Minhyuk wore when he was off the clock. 

It wasn’t his business, though. No point in thinking about it. 

There was one thought that lingered, though, one thing that bugged him a little bit, and he waited until the right moment to bring it up. As Minhyuk stepped into the hallway to leave one Thursday evenong, Hyunwoo stopped him. “You’re off the clock,” he said. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

Minhyuk tensed up, his eyes searching Hyunwoo’s face. “Okay,” he said slowly. “But I don’t have to answer.” 

“Right, of course, you’re off the clock,” Hyunwoo said. “I’m not your boss now.”

“Pretty sure you’re my boss even when I’m not working.” Minhyuk crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “I think that’s how it works. But go ahead.” He was making a big show out of being casual, but he looked tense. Hyunwoo could tell. 

Hyunwoo didn’t want to make him more uncomfortable, but he’d brought it up already, so he plunged ahead. “Do you still want to sing professionally? Do you still want to be an idol or a singer?”

Minhyuk laughed and relaxed. “I’m a little old to be an idol, don’t you think? And yeah, I miss singing and performing, but I don’t miss being broke and hungry and tired. I don’t miss worrying about draining my parents’ bank account for a one in a million chance.” He shrugged. “I made peace with leaving the industry. I like working with kids, I was trying to do more of that, get a job at a daycare or something, when I met you guys. Besides,” he said, his eyes sparkling, “I still get my time onstage.”

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yep, I- ah,” Minhyuk looked down, surprisingly bashful. “Ah, it’s a little embarrassing to say, but I model sometimes.” Looking up, his eyes went wide and he held his hands out. “Not sexy modeling! Well, everything I do is a _little_ sexy--”

Hyunwoo caught himself nodding along and stopped himself. 

“--but it’s just regular modeling. I’ve walked in a few shows for fashion week, did a spread for CeCi once. That kind of thing.” He was getting more flustered as he talked, and seemed unsure where to look. 

“That’s great,” Hyunwoo said. He could picture it, Minhyuk long and lithe on the catwalk, with his bone structure...it would be a stunning sight. “I bet you’re really good at it.” 

“Ah, my friend Hyungwon is the real pro, you should see him. He’s so tall and cool, he’s the one who gets me jobs when he can. So uh, about that.” Minhyuk scratched the back of his neck. His cheeks were pink across the tops, right at the apple of his cheekbones. 

Hyunwoo waited him out, not saying anything. He wasn’t sure what to say, or how to act. Everything felt a little on edge, not in a tense way, but like a seesaw, waiting to come down on one side or another of something he couldn’t name.

“I have a show in two weeks, it’s no big deal, not a huge label--” It was absolutely a big deal, Hyunwoo could tell. “--and I have an extra ticket. My brother was going to go, but he’s in Taiwan on business and I thought maybe you’d want to go? You probably don’t, you’d have to get babysitting, it’s a bad idea, I just thought you’d want to have fancy adult appetizers and champagne for cheap, but really, you don’t have to--”

“I’ll go,” Hyunwoo interrupted him. “Hoseok can watch her.” He mentally prayed that this was true. “He’s been bugging me for Jia time.” That much was true, at least. Hoseok would probably drop his plans in a heartbeat to watch her for a night. 

“Great! Great, okay, okay then, so I’ll send you the details. Oh, it’s black tie, is that a problem? I figured not, because of your job, but--”

“Not a problem,” Hyunwoo assured him. “I have to go to industry stuff sometimes too, I have a tux.” 

Minhyuk fidgeted again, or twitched, it was hard to tell. He still looked a little off, or awkward. Hyunwoo had probably made him uncomfortable with talking about his career and his future, it wasn’t really his business. “Sorry,” he said. “I’m sure you have stuff to do and I’m keeping you.” His face felt hot. 

“I’m the one doing the talking,” Minhyuk laughed. He shook his head and looked like his old self again. “But yeah, I have a hot date at the laundromat with two whole weeks of dirty clothes, so.” He shot Hyunwoo finger guns, waved, and walked down the hall, humming the song from Jia’s little toy piano. 

……….

 

 

Minhyuk came over early the next Saturday to cover for an emergency meeting Hyunwoo had been called in for; comeback prep for the girl group he was working with was in full swing and they needed to tweak some of the choreo to work with the props the set designer was building. It wasn’t a problem, really, and it was the kind of interesting puzzle Hyunwoo liked to work out. By the time he left, the dance was much more polished and he could just see how the MV was going to look when it was done, a fantasy seascape accentuated by the group in a formation that suggested a school of fish. Their main dancer Mina was all on board, excited to use her modern dance training for something a little more complicated than they’d done for their debut. 

He felt good when he left work, satisfied that he’d done well, none of the usual bureaucratic frustrations that sometimes plagued decisions like this. It was a almost a nice day outside, early spring creeping in on the winter weather, everything fresh and bright. A good day for the park, he realized; he hadn’t brought Jia there in a while and it was nice being out in the world like this. 

“Hey princess,” he called as he walked in. 

“Oh, how did you know?” Minhyuk asked, sailing dramatically out of the kitchen wearing a plastic crown with flashing jewels. Jia toddled behind him, falling over in screeching giggles. 

Hyunwoo could feel his smile stretching the corners of his mouth. God, his heart was going to explode. “Bundle up, baby,” he said, swooping down and picking Jia up to kiss her tummy. “We’re going to the park.” 

“Fun, fun,” Minhyuk said, leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed and crown askew, smiling at them fondly. “I love the park. I can still fit on the swings.” 

“Do you want to come?” Hyunwoo asked, then realized immediately what he was saying. “Sorry, I’m not asking you to work, I’m sure you have your own plans.”

But Minhyuk was shaking his head. “My plans of ordering pizza and playing Super Smash Bros can probably wait for some fresh air. The park’s on my way home anyway, I can hang with you guys for a bit.”

So they all bundled up, Jia looking between them the whole time, clearly delighted that they were both going out with her. She kept touching Hyunwoo’s face and saying “Ah? Ah?” then pointing at Minhyuk, saying “Ne?”

“Yes, oppa’s coming with us, aren’t you excited?” Hyunwoo asked, booping her nose as he put her hat on. He was excited too, to be honest, more excited than he should be. He wasn’t sure where to put any of the feelings that had been bubbling up recently, and maybe spending more time with Minhyuk was a bad idea, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret it, not with the good mood he was in.

The park was crowded, everyone else in his neighborhood clearly having the same idea that he’d had. Minhyuk pushed Jia on the swings, making airplane noises while Hyunwoo took video to send to his parents. Hyunwoo went down the big slide with her in his lap, even though he barely fit on it, Minhyuk whooping in laughter as he took pictures. “Blackmail,” he said gleefully. “One wrong move and these are going to Kihyun.”

“Kihyunnie has seen me do more embarrassing things,” Hyunwoo shrugged. “Go for it.”

“Wait what embarrassing things,” Minhyuk whined. “You can’t just say that and not tell me.” Hyunwoo smiled and zipped his mouth shut. Between Hoseok and Jia, he had plenty of practice ignoring whining. 

“Fine,” Minhyuk muttered, pouting. Something caught his eye and he smiled, his whole face changing lightning-fast. “Oh hey, let’s check out the fountain.” 

There was a bunch of bigger kids playing around the fountain; it was a small, whimsical thing, shaped like a jumping carp, spitting water into a bowl beneath it. It hadn’t been turned on for the season yet, but the kids were still chasing around it in circles. Jia was fascinated by them, clinging to Hyunwoo’s leg and staring. She’d gotten just bold enough in her walking to protest being carried, but not so much that she wanted to explore on her own. The excitement of big kids, four or five years old, tumbling around each other and yelling, proved to be too tempting for her. 

Jia unclenched one fist from the fabric of Hyunwoo’s pants and stepped one foot forward, pointing with a chubby finger. “Ahhh?” she asked, looking between him and Minhyuk. She let go completely and staggered toward the kids, stopping once to look back at both of them. Minhyuk looked at Hyunwoo and he knew that he had the same dopey, smitten expression on his own face. She was getting so _big_ , Hyunwoo wanted to scoop her up and kiss her cheeks or maybe burst into tears. She didn’t look like a baby anymore, even though she wasn’t quite one, with her little sneakers and ponytail sprouting from the top of her head. 

Crouching down next to her, Minhyuk pointed toward the kids. “Go ahead, sweetheart, you can do it.” She staggered another two steps, then fell forward, catching herself with two hands, her butt in the air. It was impossibly cute. 

Just as she’d righted herself again, one of the kids swooped by, yelling and screeching to the girl behind him. He passed too close to Jia, stomping right next to her little hands and she startled, toppled over, and started to cry. Hyunwoo rushed in to pick her up, kissing her tears, and Minhyuk bounded to a standing position, his face tight with anger. “Hey, slow down,” he snapped at the boy, who ignored him. “She’s just a baby.” 

“She got scared,” Hyunwoo said calmingly, even though he wanted to pick that kid up by the back of his shirt and shake him, “he was just playing.” 

“Whatever,” Minhyuk said, still glaring at the group of older kids. “I hate it when she cries.” 

A woman who had been watching the interaction with a growing frown on her face stomped up to one of the children (her own, Hyunwoo presumed) and scooped her up, balancing her on her hip and a large tote bag in her other arm. As she passed, she hissed something at Hyunwoo and Minhyuk. A filthy insult, and a word Hyunwoo never expected to hear in the park. 

Shocked into silence, he just held Jia closer and kissed her hair, whispering sweet words to counteract whatever hateful energy that woman had put out toward them. There were _children_ here, how dare she say that kind of thing? 

He was so busy being offended, he nearly missed the fact that Minhyuk had curled into himself, looking stricken and pale. Hyunwoo had expected him to be hurling insults back at her, or to be scoffing loudly at Hyunwoo or...anything, instead of just standing there, looking hurt. “Minhyuk-ah?” he asked softly.

“You ready to go?” Minhyuk asked suddenly. He grabbed the diaper bag from where it had fallen off the bench. “I’m getting cold.”

Now that Jia had calmed down, she went right into her stroller easily, occupied with the bag of snacks Hyunwoo had given her. He got her settled and pushed her alongside Minhyuk, who was walking along determinedly, his eyes on the ground. “Are you okay?” Hyunwoo asked. 

“I guess I should say I’m sorry.” Minhyuk laughed bitterly, still looking at the ground. “I’m not- I’m not sorry for who I am, and I won’t be.” His eyes flickered up to Hyunwoo’s, defiant. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Hyunwoo said. “Um, do you think I’m mad at you for something? And why do you need to apologize, you’re great.” He shut his mouth before he said anything really stupid, but honestly, Minhyuk needed to know how great he was, and this was freaking Hyunwoo out. 

Minhyuk gestured back toward the park. “That woman, she assumed-- she thought we were together. And I know I can be, I don’t know, _obvious_ , and I assumed you didn’t care, but maybe you didn’t-- I don’t know, you’re sweet, but people can be shitty, and I don’t want them to be shitty to you or to Jia because of me, but I’m not _sorry_ sorry, you know, because--”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Hyunwoo cut him off with a wave of his hand. “Do you think I’m upset with _you_? And not that bigot?” 

Minhyuk visibly deflated, rolling his head from side to side. “No, I don’t think you’re that kind of guy, I just,” he scrubbed his hand over his face, “I get sick of it. And I hate bringing anything like that near you or Jia.”

This was upsetting, Hyunwoo was very upset. He didn’t want Minhyuk to look sad or defeated or small, those words shouldn’t even be _near_ him, he wanted to make Minhyuk smile or laugh or anything, and he was just-- he was wrong, on so many levels. “Well, she thought the same thing about me,” Hyunwoo said, navigating the stroller around some fallen branches. “And I’m not insulted.” 

“Just because you were with me--” Minhyuk started to say, but Hyunwoo cut him off. 

“No, listen, it’s like, um,” Hyunwoo searched for the right words, and when they didn’t come, he just plunged ahead anyway. “It’s stupid because people assume things about looks or something, but look at idols, they’re not all- and you know, why couldn’t I be? I could be-- I’m, you know. A people person.” 

“You’re really not,” Minhyuk said kindly, looking at him with raised eyebrows. “It’s one of your charms.” 

This was difficult and coming out all wrong, Hyunwoo felt tense, like something was going to snap inside him, or like his skin was too tight or something. “No I mean, like, sexuality--” he stumbled over the word a little, but was proud of himself for making it through, “it’s just a-- a--” He tried to remember what Kihyun had said to him once, something his friend was talking about, “a social construct, right?”

Minhyuk was looking more and more amused. “Pretty sure that’s gender, actually.”

“Well, either way, um, you know. I could date whoever I wanted,” Hyunwoo said. He looked down at where he had a white-knuckled grip on Jia’s stroller and tried to make himself relax. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck. He had no idea how he’d gotten here, or why it was important, but it was. 

“You can date who you want,” Minhyuk said, slowly, “because you’re a people person.” 

“Yes,” Hyunwoo said gratefully, 

“Are you,” Minhyuk said gleefully, a terrifying grin spreading over his face, “ _coming out to me_?” He clasped his hands to his chest. “Oh my god.” 

“I’m just saying I’m uh, flexible?” This entire conversation was escaping him, he’d never thought much about his various crushes on people, dating girls was easier than thinking about anything else, and then Meiko happened and then Jia, and that was that. And now Minhyuk, but Minhyuk didn’t know that, and he really, really needed to stop talking before he said something even more stupid. “And people shouldn’t judge.” There, that was his original point, he needed to get back to that.

Minhyuk was watching him, openly delighted, his hand under his chin. “You,” he declared, “are my favorite person in the universe right now.”

“Am I?” God, it was hot, why was it so hot? “It’s so hot,” Hyunwoo said, pulling off his beanie, “I’m sweating, oh my god.”

Throwing back his head, Minhyuk cackled loudly. “You’re incredible, you’re an incredible human being.” He slung his arms around Hyunwoo’s neck, yanking him in for a hug. “Okay,” he said. “I’m going to save you from yourself.”

“Thank you?” Hyunwoo said, still trying to figure out where to put his hands. 

“I declare this conversation at an end,” Minhyuk said, making a chopping gesture. “And we’re going to go get ice cream. Your treat, because employee gifts are supposed to flow down, not up.” 

Hyunwoo was so glad to have the conversation over with that he was ready to hand Minhyuk his bank card. “Sure,” he said. He looked down. Jia was asleep, her little sneakers dangling and bobbing over the footrest of the stroller. “She’s never had ice cream,” he realized. 

“It’s a day of firsts,” Minhyuk announced, taking his arm. “I’m glad I get to be here for it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone reading and hanging in with my slow updates! They should be coming a bit faster now that I've finished some projects.


	7. seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...i'm sorry?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to N for her last minute beta duties!

Unsurprisingly, Minhyuk didn’t drop the subject of Hyunwoo’s non-existent love life after they’d talked. Now that the subject had been raised, it seemed like it was fair game. 

He started almost the second Hyunwoo walked in the door after work on Wednesday, balancing bags of groceries from the mart down the street. “Hyung, I’ll watch Jia if you want to go out on a date,” Minhyuk offered, from where he was on the floor stretching out his back. Jia was next to him, trying to copy his moves. It was all really distracting and cute, the way the two of them were flopping round together. So distracting that Hyunwoo almost missed what Minhyuk had said. 

“Um, what?”

“Dating. You, dating someone.” Minhyuk was looking at him earnestly, in a way that made Hyunwoo’s heart flip. Jia, noticing that Minhyuk wasn’t paying attention to her anymore, crawled over and calmly hit him in the face with one sticky little fist. “Ahhhh, oppa’s pretty face, Jia-yah, that’s assault.” He leaned over and tickled her. “I’m arresting you! You’re under arrest!”

Under all the shrieking, Hyunwoo hoped he’d get away unnoticed as he quietly put the food away, but apparently he wasn’t getting away that easily. “Seriously, hyung,” Minhyuk said, showing up out of nowhere to grab the milk out of his hand, sticking it in the fridge. “If you want to start dating, I don’t mind watching Jia.” He held out his hand impatiently, and Hyunwoo realized he was standing there holding a carton of eggs. 

Hyunwoo passed the eggs over to him. “Why are you even asking me about this? I don’t have time to date, I don’t want to be bringing strangers into Jia’s life, and that…” he struggled to find the words while Minhyuk looked at him curiously. “That’s just not for me,” he said, finally. “I’m a dad, that comes first. I don’t think anyone’s going to want to get involved in all this. It’s too much.”

“Don’t be silly.” Minhyuk took a container of yogurt out of the fridge, sniffed it, made a face, and threw it out. He turned to look at Hyunwoo, a soft smile on his face. “You’re hot,” he said bluntly, and Hyunwoo felt his face get warm. “You’re hot and caring and possibly the kindest person I ever met,” Minhyuk went on, and Hyunwoo was going to die of embarrassment right here and now. “Someone would have to be an idiot to not want that. God knows I’d be--” he cut off, sticking his head in the fridge again. 

Hyunwoo swallowed hard. He could feel that stupid crush rearing its head again, and he ruthlessly pushed it away. 

“Pretty sure this sujebi is growing fur,” Minhyuk announced, loudly. “I don’t know how you live like this.”

“Just throw it out,” Hyunwoo sighed. “I don’t need the commentary.” 

“You need the commentary,” Minhyuk said, with great disgust. He threw the container of sujebi into the trash, grimacing. “It’s the only way you’ll learn shame.”

Hyunwoo sighed. “I’m not paying you overtime for this.”

…………..

“Doesn’t daddy look handsome?” Hoseok pointed at Hyunwoo, bouncing Jia on his lap. She yelled happily and blew a raspberry, her latest trick. Hoseok blew one back to her, which she found hysterical.

Hyunwoo was getting ready to head out to Minhyuk’s fashion show. He wasn’t sure if he was really fashionable enough for an actual fashion show, but he figured a plain black tux never really went out of style, right? He’d gotten a haircut the day before and paid attention to his shaving and did a face mask last night, so he looked as good as he was going to. It didn’t matter, he was just there to support Minhyuk, who had been increasingly fretful and anxious all week. 

“You’ve got everything you need, right?” It wasn’t that Hyunwoo was nervous about leaving Jia with Hoseok; he’d watched her plenty of times when she was much smaller, but Hyunwoo was anxious in general. He wasn’t sure why. Worried for Minhyuk, maybe. Feeling strange about being out in the world on his own, at a social event, without Jia. What was he even going to talk to other adults about? 

“You go, we’ll be fine.” Hoseok stood up, gently swinging Jia high into the air as she laughed. “We’re going to drink chamomile tea and gossip about you.” 

“What else is new,” Hyunwoo said, smiling. He bent down and kissed Jia on the cheek. “Be good for Uncle Hoseok, okay?”

“I don’t have anything to do tomorrow,” Hoseok said, giving him some sort of weird look. “I can stay as late as you need. I brought clothes.” 

“The thing is over at eleven,” Hyunwoo said, checking his pockets for his wallet and phone. 

Hoseok sighed. “I know it’s over at eleven, but if you get _occupied_...” there was something weirdly insistent in his tone that made Hyunwoo look up. Hoseok was making an incomprehensible set of facial expressions and gestures. When Hyunwoo didn’t respond, he sighed again and said, “I’ve known you for too long to not know that you have a crush on the hot nanny.”

It wasn’t anything he could deny, and Hoseok was right, he knew him too well, but what was even the point? “That would be really unprofessional of me,” Hyunwoo snapped, running his hand through his hair as he turned away from Hoseok. He could hear Jia babbling to herself, imitating the cadence of their words. “Jia needs Minhyuk, and I need to not fuck that up for us, okay?” He turned around and gave Hoseok a thin smile. “I’ll see you guys later, okay?”

When Hyunwoo got into the taxi, his phone buzzed. It was a message from Hoseok.

_you deserve to be happy too_

………..

The event was held in some ridiculously swank place in Gangnam. It was almost completely stark white inside, punctuated by chrome accents and gentle profusions of pink flowers. Hyunwoo couldn’t tell if it was a designer’s atelier or just someone’s home. He was handed a glass of champagne as soon as he walked in, which sounded like a great idea. 

He’d texted Minhyuk on his way over to let him know he’d be there soon, and Minhyuk had just sent over a string of emojis, mostly hearts and smiles. Hyunwoo assumed he’d be getting his hair and makeup done for the show, but when he was almost finished with his first glass of champagne, Minhyuk appeared at his side to offer him another one. “Sorry,” he said. “I got caught up.” 

Minhyuk was...wow. Okay. In his normal, everyday life, Minhyuk was hot. It was a terrible fact of life that Hyunwoo had to live with, literally, just about every day. But he was also loud and pushy and usually wearing sweatpants covered in baby food. It softened the blow a little. 

Right now? Right now Minhyuk was a lot to take in. 

He was wearing a sheer mesh undershirt with a high-necked short sleeve sweater and wide, flowing pants. His hair was styled up and it looked like it had been cut, sweeping away from his face to accentuate his high cheekbones. The makeup they’d used was more understated than what Hyunwoo was used to seeing on idols, but still somehow made him look otherworldly, like a fairy prince. 

Hyunwoo thought he was used to beautiful people, and he thought he was used to Minhyuk, but nobody could get used to this. 

“You look um, nice,” Hyunwoo said, and winced. “Really nice?”

Minhyuk laughed. “I better. Someone paid a lot of money for me to look like this. Speaking of which,” he said, lowering his voice, “the guy running this thing is a rich asshole. Eat as much of this free food as you can.” 

“On it,” Hyunwoo said, grabbing some sashimi from a passing server. It looked like it was created by a true master, and Hyunwoo was looking forward to eating as much as his body could hold before the end of the night. 

Smiling fondly at him, Minhyuk said, “I’m glad you came. I wasn’t sure you would.” He didn’t say this in an accusing way, just as a matter of fact. It was odd, seeing that familiar, wry look on Minhyuk’s face while he was dressed like that. 

“Why wouldn’t I? I want to support you.” 

“You never go any-- Oh, hey! Hyungwon-ah!” Minhyuk got up on his toes, waving wildly to someone across the room. “This is Hyungwon,” Minhyuk said to Hyunwoo, as his friend walked up to the table and bowed briefly at Hyunwoo. “He got me into this gig.”

“Mmmm, it was actually his face that got him in.” Hyungwon was tall and thin, with a striking, almost odd-looking face. He was wearing an oversized shirt falling off one shoulder and the same wide-legged pants as Minhyuk. He had pink, overlong hair that kept falling into his face and a dreamy affect. “I just introduced him around. Sooooo,” he said, leaning on the table. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Hyunwoo-ssi.” 

“Oh wow did you know Hyungwon dances?” Minhyuk yelled, shoving Hyungwon to the side. “You should talk to him about dance, hyung.”

It turned out that Hyungwon had danced, but had a persistent knee injury that had kept him from pursuing it professionally. “I still dance,” he said, “I’d like to teach when I’m done with all this.” He waved his hand around, indicating the servers, the food, the elegance of the room. “This isn’t a career.” 

As Hyunwoo talked to Hyungwon, he was uncomfortably aware of the intense way Minhyuk was staring at Hyungwon and Hyunwoo in turns, like a suspicious cat. He seemed to want to jump into the conversation, but just a minute or so into the discussion, he was called away by a short young man saying something about meeting with a tailor before the show. Minhyuk shot them another look, pointed at Hyungwon, who was ignoring him, and walked off. 

The second he was out of earshot, Hyungwon perked right up. “Hyunwoo-ssi, you’re hyung’s boss?”

“Oh, call me hyung, please,” Hyunwoo said. “You’re a friend of Minhyuk’s. And yes, I’m his boss. But um, also his friend?”

“Hm,” Hyungwon said, and he was giving Hyunwoo a pointed look. “Interesting that he invited you. It was kind of you to come, hyung. For your employee.”

Before Hyunwoo had a chance to answer, the man came back and ushered Hyungwon away, likely to get ready for the show. 

Was it weird that he was here? It was, probably. He and Minhyuk hadn’t had the kind of normal employer-employee relationship for a while, or ever, really. They were friends, but he could see how that would be hard for an outsider to understand.

He was here to support his friend. Off the clock, as Minhyuk would say. It was surprising that Minhyuk asked him to go to begin with, and he wanted to honor that. 

Also, the idea of spending some time with Minhyuk, just the two of them, was appealing. Hyunwoo could admit that to himself. 

Right now, though, he had a job, and that job was to eat as much expensive seafood as he could before the show, which was something he was very good at. He just needed to focus on that, not whatever weirdness was lingering after his conversation with Hyungwon.

………….

The show itself was in a room that was too small for the crowd present. There were weren’t enough chairs and the ones they had were uncomfortable. Hyunwoo spent most of the opening mentally criticizing the production team; he had been performing for too long not to be a perfectionist, and the incompetency on display was itching at him. 

But that was all forgotten the second Minhyuk stepped onstage. He was arresting. Perfection. There might not have been anyone else onstage, for all the charisma he was exuding. Every move was flawless, both cold and a little aggressive. It was incredible. 

Hyunwoo wasn’t stupid. He knew he had a crush, and he knew it was dangerous to indulge those thoughts. But in the dark, with music pounding and lights flashing on the stage, watching Minhyuk come out in that first outfit, then sportswear, then something involving a harness and glittery cheekbones, he couldn’t help but let himself just feel enamored and awed as he watched. 

It was hard to remember the Minhyuk who left him notes when they were running low on diapers and sent him silly pictures of his daughter. This Minhyuk was the one who danced in his kitchen and walked with him in the park and coaxed out confessions that he didn’t know he wanted to make. Hyunwoo was in a tux and drinking champagne and surrounded by adults. Everything felt different right now, like he was living another version of his own life. 

And then Minhyuk came out again, along with Hyungwon, both of them wearing long, sweeping coats, and Hyunwoo remembered to breathe again.

 

…………..

After the show, the crush of people headed toward the bar, and Hyunwoo slipped out into the glassed-in atrium garden in the center of the building. There were potted trees creating little private alcoves, a rock garden wandering past a carp pond, and several tinkling waist-high waterfall features. It was calming. 

Just as Hyunwoo was trying to figure out how to find Minhyuk in the craziness, or trying to figure out if he should just leave and text him, Minhyuk opened the glass doors leading out to the garden. He was wearing a tuxedo now, with no tie and a mandarin collar. He was smiling, looking less like an untouchable fae creature and more like the guy Hyunwoo had to kick off his couch two days ago. Unfortunately, he was no less beautiful, and Hyunwoo could feel his heart starting to pound in his throat. He watched as the other two occupants of the garden got up and left, laughing and talking quietly to themselves as the doors shut behind them.

He had to get out of here. He couldn’t mess up what he had with Minhyuk by making his crush too obvious and there was too much going on in his head right now. 

“Hey,” Minhyuk said, happily, slinging his arm around Hyunwoo’s shoulder. “What did you think? Did I kill it? Hottest guy in the room?” 

If this had been Minhyuk’s usual bragging, or even if he’d been announcing this in the way he liked to announce things in a matter of fact way, then Hyunwoo would have been able to stutter out a few compliments and leave. He could have pulled himself together just long enough to do that and get back home to Jia, remind himself where his real priorities were. 

But there was something in Minhyuk’s eyes and his tone of voice that was wary, like somehow he didn’t think he killed it, or he wasn’t the hottest guy in the room. He was standing there in this little piece of green in the heart of Seoul, surrounded by the gentle sounds of waterfalls, orchids curving behind his head, looking like a prince, yet somehow he was looking for Hyunwoo’s approval. 

So the words just fell out of his mouth, honest and unfiltered. “You’re incredible,” he said, and he saw Minhyuk’s eyes widen as he stepped closer. “You’re one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen in my life. I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to look like you look tonight. I can’t stop staring at you. You killed it, you were the hottest guy in the room. The _only_ guy in the room.” 

There was a sound, a rushing in his ears, and Hyunwoo couldn’t tell if it was the waterfalls or his heartbeat. Everything was hot and cold all at once and in the middle of it, Minhyuk, frozen in place, his head cocked to one side like he was trying to figure something out. 

“Sorry,” Hyunwoo stuttered. “I’m just gonna--” he pointed at the exit and shuffled backwards, his brain replaying every stupid thing he’d just said, a slow spiraling horror of words just reeling through his mind. 

Minhyuk said “Wait,” and reached out to put one hand on Hyunwoo’s cheek. Hyunwoo froze. Minhyuk’s pal was warm and soft, radiating heat that somehow also felt like the sunlight of his smile. 

It was so much. Hyunwoo hadn’t felt like this in years, this feeling of joy exploding through him, adrenaline pumping through his veins, this feeling of overwhelming attraction and care. Maybe he’d never felt like this before. Before he even realized it, his hand had come up to cover Minhyuk’s. 

For a second, nothing happened. Minhyuk stared at him, his mouth slightly open, then in the next heartbeat he rushed forward and kissed Hyunwoo, pushing him back into the decorative potted trees, both hands on his face, ravenous and hot. 

It had been so long since Hyunwoo had been kissed, he didn’t know what to do right away. It was breathtaking, the feeling of Minhyuk’s mouth moving against his own, and for a second, he just let himself be led, one hand fisted in the fabric of Minhyuk’s shirt. 

And then he unfroze and surged up into the kiss, opening his mouth with a frantic little moan in the back of his throat. Minhyuk’s hands were everywhere, his face, his chest, smoothing over this shoulders. He was restless and active in the same way he did everything else, crashing over Hyunwoo like he’d crashed into his life, and Hyunwoo was drowning in him. 

Hyunwoo wrapped his arm around Minhyuk’s waist and pulled him closer, his hands sweaty and slipping against the expensive fabric of his jacket. He felt like he was expanding into the universe with the force of his own want. 

Minhyuk grabbed the back of Hyunwoo’s head with both of his hands and deepened the kiss, making a little whimpering, needy sound that shot straight down Hyunwoo’s spine and right to his gut. _Hoseok was right_ , he vaguely thought, _I’m not coming home tonight, he can take care of Jia--_

Jia.

What the _fuck_ was he doing? Hyunwoo gasped and pushed himself away. Minhyuk looked as shocked as he felt, one long, elegant hand coming up to touch his own lips. 

“I’m sorry,” Minhyuk said, immediately. “Oh shit, I’m so sorry.” He pressed the heels of his hands to his forehead.

“I can’t, I--” Hyunwoo swallowed. He could feel tears pricking at his eyes because this was so unfair, all of this was unfair, and yet it was his own greediness that brought them here. It wasn’t enough that he had Minhyuk in his life as his nanny, he wanted more and it was going to ruin them. 

“No, I know,” Minhyuk was saying, and he looked miserable, red-eyed and hunched in on himself. It would be heartbreaking on anyone but it was horribly, disturbingly wrong on Minhyuk. “It was stupid and I can be so impulsive, I wasn’t even thinking, I’m so, so sorry.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and blew out a breath, blinking up at the ceiling. “I’m going to go,” he said, so softly that Hyunwoo barely heard him. 

“Are you still coming over on Monday?” Hyunwoo asked, because even though it felt like he was shattering inside, he still needed to make sure Jia was cared for, first and foremost. He felt a wave of anger over it, that he couldn’t even get his heart broken without thinking about logistics.

Minhyuk looked at him, his hands still shoved into the pockets of his expensive suit. He hesitated, a long stretch of time in which Hyunwoo heard the crescendo of a piano from inside the party and indistinct male laughter, laid over the sound of the waterfalls. Minhyuk was staring at him, pain coming off him in waves, and Hyunwoo knew what the answer would be. 

“I’m sorry,” Minhyuk said. “I don’t think that would be a very good idea.” And then he left, walking quickly through the exit to the outside.

Fuck. Hyunwoo struggled to breathe around the weight pressing onto his chest. It was like there was a crack in the center of him, and he wasn’t sure how to put the pieces back together again. 

Somehow, in trying to suppress his crush on Minhyuk, he’d gone and fallen in love with him a tiny bit. And he didn’t know how he was going to come back from that. But he had to. He had a little girl waiting for him at home and now, he had to find her another nanny. 

It was that thought, the thought of Jia missing Minhyuk and not understanding where he went, thinking he’d just left them-- that was what tipped him over the edge and he stumbled outside, tears clogging his throat, until he was out of sight of the building and could let go, sobbing into his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading and being patient with me! almost at the home stretch now
> 
> twt: @fiictionalmissp


	8. eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all happening!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to lilac_one for the beta!

Somehow, Hyunwoo made it home. He got a cab, he stumbled in his door. Hoseok took one look at him and his face crumpled in sympathy.

"Do you want me to hurt him?" he asked softly, nudging Hyunwoo's leg with his foot. Hoseok had wanted to hug, but Hyunwoo couldn't handle it; he didn't want to start crying again.

Hyunwoo shook his head. "He didn't do anything wrong, I was the one who should have put a stop to this a long time ago. I fucked up. He's my employee. Was." That was too hard to think about, that one of the best things in Jia's life was going away because he was too lonely and needy not to fall in love with his nanny.

That wasn't fair to Minhyuk, though. That made it sound like Hyunwoo was just desperate and not that Minhyuk was easy to fall for. God, he was going to miss him.

After Hoseok left, with promises to come back tomorrow and check on him, Hyunwoo's phone buzzed. His breath caught as he saw Minhyuk's notification. Was he coming back? Saying goodbye? Had he left some stuff here?

_did you get home ok_

Of course Minhyuk would worry like that. _yeah, im home_

There was a long pause, during which Hyunwoo counted his own breaths, loud and harshly echoing in the room around him. _im not going away if you dont want me to, i just need time_

_i don’t want you to_ Hyunwoo responded, but there was no answer.

…………...

True to his word, Minhyuk stayed away. Hyunwoo didn't hear from him again in the next several days. He was on edge waiting, and then sad and disappointed, and then mad at himself for being disappointed.

He thought back to their kiss, over and over and over again. The explosive joy, the crushing fear. It was like rubbing a bruise, pressing into all the tender parts of himself, every time he relived the moment that Minhyuk had crashed into him, what it felt like the first second their lips touched. He tortured himself with memories of Minhyuk’s laughter, of them dancing in the kitchen, the way he used to look at Jia when he put her down for a nap.

It seemed like he couldn’t do anything else but think about the past and do the bare minimum to keep him and Jia fed and healthy. He got up because she was crying, he changed her diaper when she needed it, he made sure she was fed exactly on schedule, and he went to work because she needed food and roof over her head, but his head was always somewhere else.

Just like right after Jia was born, Hyunwoo wasn't sure how he could have survived without his friends. Hoseok, of course, was the first in line to help. He immediately canceled all of his clients for the week after hearing about what had happened with Minhyuk. Hyunwoo had protested at first, but Hoseok cut him off firmly, saying "You don't need to be worrying about who's taking care of Jia while you're dealing with a broken heart. This will give you some space to figure things out, at least."

It was going to take Hyunwoo more than a week to get over Minhyuk and get his life figured out, but he definitely needed the space.

He felt like a zombie, like he was stumbling through his days focused on making sure Jia stayed fed and clean, and nothing else. He ate takeout every night for seven days until Jooheon staged an intervention and sent some catering over. Hyunwoo had worried that Kihyun and Jooheon would be angry with him, or that they'd be disappointed and cold, but Kihyun just said, "You're both idiots," and kept treating him the same as he always did.

Minhyuk's absence in their lives was profound, so much so that Hyunwoo felt retroactively stupid. Of course they couldn't keep doing this. Of course he had fallen in love. Minhyuk had become the heart of their little house, and that was so much to put on someone he was paying to do a job.

But that didn't change the fact that their home was strangely quiet. The couch stayed free of the pillows and blankets Minhyuk sometimes used when he stayed over. The day Hyunwoo used the last of the jasmine tea Minhyuk liked, he had to step into the bathroom and press the heels of his hands into his eyes so he wouldn't cry. One thing after another reminded Hyunwoo of how it used to be, and he just wanted it back, for himself and for Jia.

After Hoseok's week was up, Hyunwoo called in sick for two days to get a grip on his life. Broken heart aside, he still had a nanny problem. He would always have a nanny problem, and he couldn't see a way out of it. He watched as Jia held up her stuffed kitten, making crooning noises to it that might have been meows.

Hyunwoo sat there, absorbed in watching her, fantasizing about winning the lottery, when his phone buzzed. 

It was Minhyuk. 

_i told you im not going away_

That was easy to respond to. _i dont want you to go away, and im sorry_

Minhyuk responded almost immediately. _don't be silly, you didn't do anything wrong_ this was accompanied by three stickers of hearts and a hamster blowing kisses. _but i can't work for you anymore, you know that right?_

_yeah_ And because that seemed too curt, Hyunwoo added, _im not mad, i really get it, things changed_

For a while, Minhyuk didn't respond, and then he just sent _yeah_ with the crying emoji and the blowing kisses emoji.

In spite of how sad he was, Hyunwoo couldn't help but laugh a little. Minhyuk was ridiculous. As much as his heart hurt, and as scared as he was of starting from scratch to find someone to care for Jia, he was able to go to sleep with the relief that Minhyuk didn't hate him or anything. He didn't know where they stood, or even what he himself wanted, but at least they were talking, or could talk, like adults.

Though there wasn’t a response after that, somehow Hyunwoo felt okay about it. Minhyuk wasn’t going away, not yet. 

However, he still had a massive childcare problem, and that wasn’t going away either.

One thing was for sure. He couldn't keep smacking his head against the same walls and expecting something different. Something had to give, something that wouldn't leave him and Jia homeless, and something that would solve his nanny problem.

It came to him as he was scraping dried rice cakes from one of Jia's bowls. Hands-deep in soapy water, thinking about how if Minhyuk was here, he'd be helping him, or heckling him, or both. Right there in the middle of his chores, exhausted and hurting, it just hit him out of the blue. If something wasn't working, he had to do something different. The idea was so stupidly simple, Hyunwoo couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it already.

The conversation with Minhyuk and his own revelation left him feeling lighter than he had in a long time. He gave Jia an extra-long bath with all her toys and half a bottle of bubble bath, letting her splash and giggle until long after the water got cold. He hadn’t had the energy for that kind of thing lately, and it felt satisfying that she was so happy. After he’d dried her off and put her to bed, snoring softly in her yellow duck pajamas, Hyunwoo touched her face and whispered, “Daddy’s going to fix it.” 

……

It wasn't hard to find dance studios who wanted to hire a teacher who had worked for a big entertainment company. It was clout for the studio, and appealing to parents who wanted their kid to be the next Momo or J-Hope. Hyunwoo was used to kids, and patient, and he was pretty sure that between Jia and some of the idols he'd worked with, he could handle any tantrums that came his way.

After only a week of looking, he had an offer from an elite academy in Apgujeong. He'd be working regular hours, still some weekends and evenings, but on a steady schedule. He could send Jia to the daycare in the same building, and hire someone just for those few off-hours. The salary was better than he'd get at a less prestigious studio, but not nearly what he was making at the company. They'd have to move, or take in a roommate, even with Hyunwoo's savings, but he couldn't keep going the way they were going. He needed to be there for Jia, provide her with some stability. Working for an entertainment company wasn’t going to bring him that. 

Maybe he could have his own studio someday, and work office hours. It was good to have goals beyond just surviving, getting from one comeback to the next, one dance practice to the next. He could settle a little, reprioritize. 

After he got the job offer, he took Jia out for ice cream at the same place he’d gone with Minhyuk. He felt silly and a little self-conscious, like Minhyuk was going to pop out from behind a corner, but the only thing that happened was Jia knocking over a glass of water and Hyunwoo having to apologize to the harried owner, a wad of napkins in his hand.

……...

Two days after Hyunwoo handed in his resignation at the entertainment company, Minhyuk showed up at his door. 

There was no warning, no text, and for once Hyunwoo wasn’t even thinking about Minhyuk -- he was sorting all of the clothes Jia had grown out of -- when Minhyuk knocked on their door. 

He didn’t look any different. That’s all Hyunwoo could think of. He looked a little tired around the eyes and his bangs were falling into his face, but he looked just like the same Minhyuk, in track pants and an oversized shirt, like he was ready to take Jia to the park. For a second, Hyunwoo wished that they had maybe been caught in a time loop, that maybe the past month hadn’t happened, and they had the chance to do it all over again. 

“So,” Minhyuk said, looking at the floor while Hyunwoo stood there like an idiot, “I’m pretty much in love with you, which sucks, and-- can I come in?” He pushed his way past Hyunwoo, who was clutching a kitten onesie to his chest, _I’m in love with you_ ringing in his ears.

“That’s-- I was going to say that,” Hyunwoo mumbled, but Minhyuk didn’t hear him because Jia, who had been stacking books on the floor, caught sight of Minhyuk, pointed at him accusingly, and burst into angry tears. 

“Oh, baby,” Minhyuk crooned, “sweetheart, oppa’s here.” She screeched, furious and red-faced as he swung her up and sat on the couch with her as she mashed her face into his shoulder and sobbed. She hadn’t seemed to notice that Minhyuk was gone, but it was like she remembered now that he was here. 

“Ssshhh,” Minhyuk said, and Hyunwoo could hear that he was maybe crying a little too, and that, more than anything else, unfroze him from where he was still standing in the doorway. He shut the door and put down the kitty onesie, moving to put the kettle on. Minhyuk and Jia needed some time, and he had to collect his thoughts. 

Minhyuk loved him. Hyunwoo’s heart pounded in his ears as he stared blindly at the sputtering kettle. Minhyuk loved him and he was here, and he wasn’t the nanny anymore. He couldn’t let himself hope, things had gone so horribly last time, but maybe-- maybe.

He fixed two mugs of tea and brought them out to the living room. Jia was still on Minhyuk’s lap, but she was hitting him gently in the face with a book and giggling as he dramatically howled in pretend pain, so he figured everything was okay. “She missed you,” he said, as he set the mugs down.

“I’m missable,” Minhyuk answered, blowing a raspberry on her cheek. He wasn’t looking at Hyunwoo. 

“Very,” Hyunwoo said quietly, and Minhyuk looked back at him. “I missed you,” he continued. “So much.”

Minhyuk put Jia down among her books with a kiss to her head and picked up his mug of tea. “As a nanny?”

“No, just as you.” Hyunwoo took a deep breath. “I haven’t been thinking of you as just the nanny for a long time.”

Minhyuk finally looked at him. “You’re my favorite person, next to Jia. And that’s not because you’re a great nanny. You’re a good person, and kind, and you’re sweet with Jia -- I couldn’t love anyone who wasn’t good with her, That’s not a nanny thing, that’s a dad thing -- and you love dogs and you’re bad at math and you’re kind of lazy and you’re probably the most handsome person I’ve ever seen in real life--”

“More handsome than Hyungwon?” Minhyuk interrupted.

“Yeah, your face is just-- it’s perfect.”

“Yessss,” Minhyuk said, satisfied. “Please continue your love confession. You’re doing really well,” he said, touching his hand to Hyunwoo’s knee. He was smiling, his eyes sparkling, and Hyunwoo couldn’t help but smile back. 

It was too distracting, the way he was smiling, and Hyunwoo completely lost his train of thought. “I think that was it?” He felt his cheeks get hot and he dropped his head, suddenly shy. 

“I swear, you just do that because you know it’s cute,” Minhyuk said, patting his cheek. His hand was cool and dry against the fierce heat of Hyunwoo’s blush. “And it is, it’s cute. You’re cute. I like you a lot, you know.” 

“Will you go out to dinner with me?” Hyunwoo asked, interlacing their hands together and bringing them to his heart as he looked up at Minhyuk. “Can we try- can we try that? Starting over?”

“Well, I’m unemployed, so as long as you’re buying.” Minhyuk said, tugging Hyunwoo closer with their entwined hands and kissing the back of his knuckles. 

Hyunwoo startled, both from the feeling of the kiss and realization that oh yeah, Minhyuk didn’t have a job. “Oh, I didn’t even think-- are you okay, are you looking for work? I’m so--”

“If you apologize one more time, I’m going to hit you,” Minhyuk said, matter-of-factly. “Your muscles don’t scare me. And yes, I’m looking for work. I have an interview at a daycare next week. Assistant manager, thanks to my experience with Jia.”

“They’d be stupid not to hire you,” Hyunwoo said. “You’re amazing with kids.”

Just then, Jia crawled over and pulled herself up on Minhyuk’s knee, whining and crying. She looked at him, her little chin jutting out stubbornly, and after a moment of careful, wobbly consideration, pitched forward and used her three new teeth to bite his knee. 

“Oh, fu-uuudge, augh.” Minhyuk picked her up and said sternly, “I shouldn’t reward bad behavior,” while kissing her cheeks. 

“She’s going to cry when you leave,” Hyunwoo said. He might join her, but Minhyuk didn’t need to know that.

“I don’t have to go for a while,” Minhyuk said, still kissing Jia. “I missed my girl.” It was so good to see them together again. They were both beaming.

Hyunwoo offered, “Stay for dinner? I don’t think I have anything in the house, but I can order some chicken and tell you about my new job.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Minhyuk stopped kissing Jia and turned to look at him, shocked. “New job? What?” 

Hyunwoo let out a short bark of laughter. He liked getting to surprise Minhyuk. He always looked so offended when it happened. “Yeah, I figured it was time for a change.” 

Minhyuk stared him down. “Order me some spicy chicken. It looks like we have a lot of talking to do.” 

………

In one way, the evening passed like nothing had ever happened between them. They ordered half and half chicken and ate it in the living room, feeding Jia small bites of plain chicken in between spoonfuls of porridge. She kept alternating between crawling and toddling back and forth between them, giggling and chortling to herself as she happily mashed porridge into the couch cushions. She kept looking at Minhyuk suspiciously, like she was waiting for him to leave again. 

Or maybe Hyunwoo was projecting. 

In another way, everything was new. Hyunwoo kept looking at Minhyuk and turning his head before he remembered that he was allowed to look. He felt like he didn’t know where to put his hands or how to sit -- was he close enough? Too close? It was like before, but a hundred times more uncertain. He felt abuzz with it, that feeling of attraction and uncertainty lighting up his nerves and making him restless. 

It was bad enough at one point that Minhyuk noticed. He snorted, laughing fondly at Hyunwoo right before saying, “It’s okay if you do some like, squats or something. Work off the anxiety.” 

Embarrassingly, he considered it until Minhyuk curled up on the couch clutching a cup of tea to his chest, and said, “I’ll just watch,” with a wink. 

“Um, maybe later,” Hyunwoo said, then was so immediately embarrassed he had to cover his face. “You make me shameless,” he said behind his hands. 

“Not yet, but you’re getting there,” Minhyuk said. “Hey,” he whispered, tugging Hyunwoo’s hands away from his face, “let’s put the princess to bed so I can kiss you. How’s that for shameless?” 

“Getting there,” Hyunwoo said, and, in a moment of daring, darted forward and planted a quick kiss on Minhyuk’s lips before jumping off the couch to grab Jia. “Bedtime!” he announced, swinging her up and kissing her tummy, laughing at the look of stunned shock on Minhyuk’s face. 

He smiled to himself all through bedtime, humming as he changed Jia and he rocked her to sleep. When he got back out to the living room, Minhyuk was still there, stretched out on the couch as he played a game on his phone. 

Minhyuk looked up with a big, unguarded smile. Hyunwoo noticed that he was rubbing his socked feet together, like a happy little kid. “Hey,” he said. “Come here.”

Sitting on the floor in front of the couch, Hyunwoo leaned his head back, resting it on Minhyuk’s shoulder. He sighed, heavily, and it felt like he was releasing an ocean’s worth of pressure. “I missed you,” he said. It felt like he couldn’t say it enough, or he couldn’t say it in the right way, to make it mean the right thing. 

“I’m back,” Minhyuk murmured into his ear, kissing his temple. “And I’m not going anywhere.”

Hyunwoo turned himself sideways so he could see Minhyuk better. He realized, too late, that he was now up close to Minhyuk’s face, his eyes glittering in the dimmed lights of the living room. Hyunwoo could see the slight purpling under his eyes and how sloppily he’d shaved this morning. 

It should have made him sad, maybe, to see that Minhyuk was suffering, but instead he just felt like yeah, they were in this together. 

Even though Hyunwoo wanted to kiss him more than anything, closing the distance between them felt impossible. This was deliberate, not like Minhyuk’s rushed kiss at the fashion show. 

But Minhyuk had showed up, on his own, at Hyunwooo’s door. He had been bold, and Hyunwoo could be bold too. 

He leaned forward, gently, carefully, and kissed the upward tilt of Minhyuk’s smile. Minhyuk giggled, but Hyunwoo just took advantage of his open mouth and kissed him deeper, pushing him back slightly with the force of it. 

Minhyuk made a surprised noise. His hands came up to either side of Hyunwoo’s face and held him there, kissing and kissing and kissing. They kissed until Hyunwoo’s back started to hurt and he came up on the couch. They kissed until Minhyuk was wild with it, his lips red and swollen. They kissed until Hyunwoo slipped his hand under Minhyuk’s shirt, teasing along the top of his boxers and--

Wailing, loud and clear from the baby monitor next to them. They both groaned. “I should go,” Minhyuk said, as they reluctantly pulled apart. “A lady doesn’t give it all away on the first date.”

Hyunwoo wanted to argue -- not about the giving it away part, he wasn’t touching that, just the leaving part -- but Jia howled even louder. 

“Go,” Minhyuk said, leaning in to kiss him again. “I’ll be back in the morning, okay? Cuddle the princess for me. Love you.”

And he was gone, just like that. 

While Hyunwoo rocked Jia in her room, trying to get her back to sleep as she whined and complained and wiggled around in his arms, he thought about Minhyuk coming back to see him, kissing him, being there for him, no matter what. He thought about all the times Minhyuk had reached out when he couldn’t, how he saw Hyunwoo as someone worthy of that effort. He didn’t see Hyunwoo as a struggling, failing dad. He wanted in, he wanted to be part of their lives. 

It was easy to love Minhyuk, Hyunwoo had known that for a long time, but maybe now he could try to start letting Minhyuk love him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: There will be nine chapters, not ten as I'd estimated! 
> 
> twt: @fictionalmissp


	9. nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And we're done!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, thank you, thank you to mucha for hand-holding and betaing this whole damn thing, thank you to N for jumping in to help and to cheerlead, and thank you to Ellen for being the loudest cheerleader. You guys are the best.
> 
> And big thanks to headbandhyungs for the beautiful moodboard!

_Three Months Later_

“Wait--- hold the door--” Minhyuk slumped against the door that Hyunwoo was holding open, either to try and help, or to keep himself upright, it was hard to tell. The large box he was carrying started to slip out of his hands and Hyunwoo grabbed it, lifting it easily. 

“My hero.” Minhyuk grinned and kissed his cheek. “I think that’s the last of it, anyway.” 

The movers had just finished bringing in most of Minhyuk’s stuff; the box he was carrying was filled with things he didn’t trust anyone to carry but himself. Hoseok and Kihyun had left earlier with Jia; she was getting in the way of everything and it was too hard to keep her safe with the movers coming in and out. Hoseok even offered to keep Jia overnight, but Hyunwoo was a little nervous about that, so they compromised on taking her out to dinner and putting her to sleep at Hoseok’s house and Hyunwoo and Minhyuk would pick her up later. 

Hyunwoo couldn’t quite believe that Minhyuk was really moving in, that they’d actually get to live together and be together and wake up together every day. 

After Hyunwoo started working at the dance studio, he started looking for another place to live that was more affordable, but the real estate market in Seoul was even worse than it had been when he first moved into his current apartment. Everything was either too far from work, or in a neighborhood he didn’t like, or it wasn’t enough space for even just the two of them. 

Minhyuk didn’t get the job at the daycare because there was someone else with more experience, but the director at the program referred him to another school and he’d started there almost immediately as an assistant director. Unfortunately, the delay meant he was late with his part of the rent and he and his roommate started fighting over it. 

It was Hyunwoo who’d brought up the idea of moving in together, and to his surprise, Minhyuk was hesitant. “We just got the finances _out_ of our relationship,” he’d said, and then had Kihyun (as a neutral third party, and as a person known to Do Math) draw up a “roomie contract’ outlining their responsibilities for the various expenses. 

Minhyuk had tried to add a clause for “sexy negotiations,” but that’s when Kihyun had fled the room with his hands over his ears while Hyunwoo’s face burned. 

That was something that was...not much yet. They’d been taking things slow, partially because of Hyunwoo’s relative inexperience, and partially because trying to find time to do anything more than a little intense kissing and groping with a toddler was almost impossible. Maybe if they’d already had that kind of relationship they could have knocked out a bathroom quickie, but that’s not how Hyunwoo wanted their first time to happen. And despite his occasional loud complaining, Hyunwoo got the sense that Minhyuk didn’t either. 

Minhyuk was cautious, having been the employee, and the care that he took with his own boundaries made Hyunwoo twice as mindful. He always let Minhyuk lead the way when they talked about taking things any further in their relationship, like moving in together or telling Hyunwoo’s parents about them, or getting physical, and he always made sure Minhyuk felt cared for, spoiled. 

It was rare that he took any kind of initiative in their relationship. But right now, they had three or four more hours until they had to pick up Jia. Minhyuk was crouched down next to one of the boxes, frowning at its contents, looking tired and a little sweaty. He wasn’t doing anything special, just chewing at his lower lip while he poked through his stuff, but Hyunwoo was suddenly, entirely overwhelmed with lust. It was like every aborted makeout session, every time he’d had to pull his hands back when they wandered down Minhyuk’s pants, every time they had to break apart to soothe a crying baby: all that frustration came roaring back at once and he was shaking with it, suddenly half-hard with a dry mouth. 

Sweat dripped down the back of his neck. He was overheating. “Hey,” he said. “Come here.”

“Mmm?” Minhyuk gave him a distracted glance. “What’s up?”

Not answering, Hyunwoo walked over, tugged on Minhyuk’s arm until he stood up, and kissed him hard, immediately dropping his hands to Minhyuk’s ass and squeezing. “We don’t have to pick Jia up yet,” he said, nipping sharply at Minhyuk’s neck. 

Minhyuk pulled back, his arms still draped loosely around Hyunwoo’s neck. He stared at Hyunwoo and, for a second, Hyunwoo thought he might pull completely away. But then he said, wide-eyed, “Oh my god, fuck unpacking.”

“Fuck unpacking,” Hyunwoo agreed fervently, and bent down to throw Minhyuk over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

Minhyuk just hung his head down and laughed, wiggling annoyingly until Hyunwoo slapped his ass, grinning to himself. When they got to his bedroom -- _their_ bedroom -- Hyunwoo dropped him on the bed with a flourish.

Cackling, Minhyuk held out his arms. "Come here," he said, wiggling his fingers. "Kiss me." In a heartbeat, his whole demeanor changed. He went from cute and giggly to the sensual, charismatic creature Hyunwoo had seen on the runway. Minhyuk stared at him from underneath his lashes and flicked his tongue over his bottom lip. Hyunwoo shivered. "Come here," Minhyuk said again, low and raspy.

Hyunwoo couldn't stay away. He pulled off his shirt and crawled onto the bed, bracketing Minhyuk with his arms.

"Wow," Minhyuk said, trailing his fingers down Hyunwoo's chest. "I knew, but I didn't really know." He tugged at Hyunwoo's waistband. "Want to take these off too?"

But Hyunwoo didn't want to stop for that, he just wanted his mouth on Minhyuk again so he went down on his elbows and kissed him, softly tracing the seam of his lips with his tongue until Minhyuk deepened the kiss with a needy little noise.

Hyunwoo dropped down onto one elbow and used his other hand to play with the hem of Minhyuk’s shirt. He was so turned on already, he couldn’t keep it gentle for long, slipping his hand underneath to feel along Minhyuk’s ribs and chest. Minhyuk pulled off his shirt and asked, “What do you want?”

“Just touch me,” Hyunwoo panted. It felt like he was going to die if Minhyuk didn’t touch him, he’d been waiting so long. “Please.” He grabbed at Minhyuk’s pants, pulling them down. His hands were shaking, he couldn’t stop moving them over Minhyuk’s body and holding his jaw to kiss him. He wanted to be touched, but he didn’t want to stop touching. 

Minhyuk shoved his hands down the back of Hyunwoo’s pants and squeezed his ass as he arched up. “Yeah,” he said, his eyes going unfocused. 

From there, it was fast. They were too keyed up from months of foreplay for anything elaborate, and Hyunwoo was looking forward to every first they'd have together, no need to get it all out of the way at once. He kissed Minhyuk through the whole thing, hands in his hair, cradling his jaw, grabbing his hips.

Hyunwoo came straddling Minhyuk's thigh, still kissing him, holding him in place as he groaned into his mouth. "Oh," Minhyuk whispered, and he followed a few moments later, clutching Hyunwoo's shoulders as Hyunwoo worked him through it, gasping almost noiselessly until the breathy little sounds dissolved into laughter, a high cackle of pure joy that made Hyunwoo blush.

"What," he said, shoving his face into Minhyuk's neck.

Minhyuk kissed the top of his head loudly. "I just feel so good," he said. "I love you."

"I love you too," Hyunwoo said, rolling onto his back. "I can't believe I get to have this. It's like--" he searched for the words as Minhyuk watched him, fondness radiating off his face so strongly that Hyunwoo almost swore he could feel its warmth. "It's almost too good to be true," he finally got out, even though that didn't really cover it.

Minhyuk snorted. "If it was too good to be true, we wouldn't have to get out of this warm bed, clean up, and go pick up the kid."

"You have a point there." Hyunwoo leaned over and kissed him. "Late family dinner? I'll buy us all some meat, we can celebrate."

"Are we inviting Kihyun and the guys as a thanks?" Minhyuk stretched and yawned. "I'm not sure if he'll want to go out if he's in for the night."

Hyunwoo smiled, touching his cheek. "I said _family_ dinner," he said softly.

"Oh." Hyunwoo loved being able to put that startled look on Minhyuk's face. if the light was on, he'd bet he could see him blushing. "So just us then?"

"Just us then," Hyunwoo said, feeling happiness bloom in his heart. "Just family."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who hung in there with my slow updates and read this story!

**Author's Note:**

> find me on twt @fictionalmissp


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